The Scarlett Raven
by LacrimosaDSRKatastrofa
Summary: I am a rebel and a monster, I've never known this strange feeling before. Whatever it its, why do I feel this? My goal is to find the reason why the Scarlet Raven chose the path it did, not to get Ivan's attention. Or maybe... it is?
1. Prologue

Ever since I was a little girl, my mom would tell me the story of the Scarlet Raven, the dark bird drenched in the scarlet blood of its enemies. It was known as a bird of destruction with the lust for blood and gore.

"But what is the source of its bloodlust? Why does it want to kill?"

That question never got its answer and everytime the story was told, the ending was miserable, the Scarlet Raven died, always. Whenever I would ask about why it had to die, the answer was always the same, "Because it was a monster." When I grew older, my mom told me that the story's moral or lesson was to never follow the path of blood because you will eventually lose your sanity and become a monster.

But, still, I wondered, "Why did the Raven choose the that path? Why?"


	2. Scarlett Raven character info thingy

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HETALIA OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! HETALIA BELONGS TO ITS RESPECTED CREATORS! I ONLY OWN MY OCs AND THE STORY!

My name is Scarlett Lancer. I'm seventeen years old and I live in Wolf Creek, Alaska, a place filled with hundreds of thousands of rebels and gangs including me, the Scarlett Raven.

Scarlett Raven, the bird of darkness drenched in blood, that was the name those who feared and despised me gave me. Ebenthough my name was spoken out in fear, I didn't hate it because it made me feel powerful like I had the world at the palm of my hand. I loved that feeling.

Although I didn't kill, I did beat people up when I felt like it or when they angered me. Most people were scared of me, or hated me for who I was, like my parents. Yet, there were some people who understood me like my best friend, Camilla, and a few others. So I guess you cold say I'm sorta like your average teenager (with all the shitty drama) with a pretty awesome life.

My purpose in life currently, is to figure out the reason, why the Scarlet Raven chose the path it did.


	3. Chapter 1

Today is September 4th, 2013, the first day of my senior year in the awesome Wolf Creek Academy, sadly. To me, the only thing great about school is getting to meet my bestest friends again. The only reason why I bother keeping up with my grades is cuz I don't wanna be a dumbass.

I didn't get alot of sleep last night because my cross-dressing best friend, Feliks called me at 2:00 a.m. in the freaking morning to help pick first day of school outfits which practically drove me to insanity. But then again, it was worth it cuz he helped me pick out an awesome outfit which included a women's balck leather jacket with a balck tee underneath with black skinny jeans and gray lace-up combat boots. After getting dressed, i grabbed my extendable-sort-of-robotic-metal staff which I always brought along with me in case someone challenged me, whihc almost always occurred.

Once I was done, I headed to the kitched to grab an apple for my morning meal. Along the way, I greeted the servants, workers, maids, and housekeepers who worked for my rich and aristocratic parents. Unlike most of my family, I always thanked them for their services and treated them kindly.

When I reached the stairs, I met my two younger twin sisters, Alissa and Alicia who my parents refered to as "perfection." Which they were, unlike me. They were probably going to inherit everything from my parents while I ended up with nothing because of their lady-like air that made everyone adore them compared to my aura that made everyone respect, but fear me. My sisters also looked exactly like me, just maybe ten times more beautiful. We had the same waist-length raven hair and milky white skin. One of my mother's friends also commented on how we were perfectly slender and well-fit. This was true, but the things that split us apart was our taste in everything and my stronge gray eyes compared to their honey brown eyes which were identical to both of my parents.

They, of coursed, dressed up today in matching white dresses with sky blue cardigans and white dress shoes. Both of them tied their hair into ponytails which showed their faces. I never liked to show my whole face, so I let my hair flow freely and my sidebangs framed my "perfect" face.  
My sisters looked at me with disgust, but I didn't mind. I just kept saying good morning to the workers while waving my staff in the air. We met my father and mother at the end of the grand staircase. My father's black and gray hair was comved back and added to the age along with his wrinkly face. He wore a business suit and my mother wore her femail business suit. She had long curly brown hair and a natural worreid face. Both of them always went pale as ghosts when they saw what I was wearing. When my gray eyes met their brown ones, my father's wrinkles worsened and my mother's face showed complete and utter anger. But once they saw Alissa and Alicia, they were practically bursting with happiness as shown in their constant doting.

This is an everyday thing, even though my heart sank everything, I just put on a smile. "Just smile and walk away," I always told myself.

After watching their doting for about fifteen minutes or so, I twirled my staff around for a while than slammed it harshly onto the floor, making a loud thud echo across the mansion. It made my family flinch and turn to me, but by the time they looked at me, I had already turned my back to them and left. As I walked, I saw a maid running around with ribbons overflowing her hands. A long, pink ribbon feel to the ground.

After I picked it up, I shoved it into the left pocket of my leather jacket, thinking Feliks might want it. I walked down the corridor that led to the kitchen. Paintings of long ago filled my sight. I was soon faced wtih the double doors of the kithchen. Through the black rimmed square windows, I saw a tall man with chinn length blond hair and dark blue eyes with a somewhat "perfect" face, frying eggs to put into my family's "5-star" meal. He was our butler, Francis. Pretty young for a butler you might think, which is sorta true since he was only 24. But nontheless, he's a pretty good butler, a pretty perverted one if you asked me though. The housekeepers and maids often gossiped about his "perfect" body and "perfct" face. Which I find pretty disgusting, even if I'm seventeen and should be able to handle those comments like a grown up. I opened the doors quietly, as to not intterrupt whatever perverted dream called "concentration" he had.

Once I found the table near the window that I always sat at to eat my morning meals, I noticed a fancy china plate piled with two small fancy red pancakes with the words "HAPPY SENIOR YEAR" printed in a thin layer of white icing. Around the pancakes were green apples forming the circumfrance of the pancackes. A glass of Apple juice was put to the right and silverware set neatly on a napkin, was placed to the left of the plate.

I set my staff leaning against the wall and took a seat. "I'M GONNA EAT NOW!" I yelled at Francis loud enough for him to hear me. I picked up my fork and knife and ate it all in five seconds max. I tasted AWESOME! After that, I swallowed my drink.

I looked to the window and saw my "disgraceful" reflection. My mother once said my face was a "perfect" heart shape. my nose wasn't pointy or flat, just straight out "perfect" as well as my fit body and eye shape. But the thing that ticked my parents off was the way I dressed and acted. It acted. It was as if they judged me and loved me for only the way I looked. While I though and thought about my sad life, I fixed my hair and waited for Francis to finish cooking the 5-star meal for my aristocratic family.

I parted my hair on the left which gave me bangs that partially covered my right eye and side-bangs that formed the left side of my face. The hairstyle that my mother absoulutely hated,but I loved!

When I was done, i got lost in the terrible memories of my childhood spent alone in the mansion while the workers were busy working and my sisters in their own little world. Until i had met Francis, it was very lonely. He was like a Big Brother to me, and I was like a little sister to him.

But then a thick French accent ran through the hair seductively, intterupting my thoughts, "Ohonhonhonhon~ is my cute petite corbeau having an intensely perverted daydream about moi?~" See what I mean by a perverted butler? I turned around and saw Francis flaring his nostrils and making a weird, jacked up face.

It was so jacked, I burst out laughing until my sides hurt. One I had calmede down, I punched him lightly on the shoulder and said, "No, you perverted bastard," with a bright grin on my face. He chuckled and handed me my black and red messenger bag filled with school supplies and lunch. I stood up, swung the bag across my right shoulder and grabbed my metal staff. He pulled out a red flowered black scarf from his pocket and wrapped it neatly around my neck.

"You're going zu come back in one piece for me, OK?" he asked in a caring voice this time. I nodded quickly. I heard a loud honk coming from outside the mansion. "It looks zike your friends are out there waiting for you," he gestured outside the window where I saw Feliks and Camilla waving to the window like dumbasses.

I followed Francis as he led me outside this labirynth they called a house. Without him, I'd probably be lost forever in thie mansion. Francis opened the posh doors like a fancy butler would, and I thanked him using a French accent.

In front of me was the winter wonderland known as Alaska. Large heaps of fresh white snow, a silver fountain with an angel, and my two friends, Camilla and Feliks with their convertable filled my gray eyes.

"Like, there you are Scar, we've been, like, waiting in the totally freezing cold waiting for you. That's, like, totally not cool!" My blond cross-dressing friend, Feliks said.

Feliks wasn't exactly manly in a normal person's books, but he sure was in mine. He could pass for a cute girl according to Francis, which was sorta true, considering his feminine face, girl-like height, and skinny figure. Today, he was wearing a pink skirt with black tights and hot pink combat boots with a black long sleeved shirt perfected with a pink cardigan and black scarf. His chin length blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but left bangs that parted in the middle, yet it only perfected his emerald green eyes and girlish face. Neat outfit right? Well, it better be cuz Feliks woke me up at 2:00 a.m. just to pick out one freakin outfit.

Inside the light pink colored convertable in the back left seat was Camilla holding a lunchbox filled with pasta-flavored dumplings made for her crush, Yao Wang. She and Yao are what Feliks would call "like he's totally like crazy about Camilla and like Camilla's like totally crazy about him but their just like totally scared to like admit" OR as I like to call it, "stuck in the friend zone." Camilla didn't know, but me and Feliks already knew that yo really likes Camilla. But the reason why we didn't tell either of them was because we wanted to let their love play out naturally.

Camilla has a bunch of fanboys, I'll tell you that. Most of the dudes are crazy for her, but of course she chooses Yao to be her "special someone." Camilla is what you call a natural supermodel inside and out. She has what all the boys call a "perfect body." She has pale white skin, mermaid raven hair, and honey brown eyes. Her face has an innocent yet mature look. She dressses cool in my books. Today, she;s wearing black skinny jeans, kneww high black converse with white lacing, a "BVB" tee, a white and black jacket, perfected with a black lacy choker with a silver butterfly on its side. I think the outfit looks cute same with her and Feliks, and of course, Yao.

Not only is Camilla pretty, she's also a genuinly nice person who cares enough about me and Feliks to help us out with life's problems. I know what your thinking, totally unlike me right? Its something I already know. But I gotta stay with her to protect her from flirts and perverts. Don't get me wrong, I get along with her and Feliks just perfectly.

"Like Scar, we like, gotta get to Wolf Creek high before, like, our perverted principal totally marks us totally tardy!" Feliks whiled with his Polish accent. OK, just so you don't freak out or something, Feliks is a dude, a really unique dude!

Feliks snapped me out of my thoughts when he waved a hand in front of my eyes. "Scar! Like, lets ditch!" Feliks said.

"I heard you, chill." I said as I threw my bag into the back and sat in the Captain seat of Feliks' beloved pink convertable. Feliks skipped around the car then hopped into the driver's seat.

As Feliks started up the engine and reminded me about my goddamn seatbelt, I looked at our surrondings to see if any gang members or stalkers were out to get us. Even though I didn't see any hiding in the vast white snow or evergreen trees, I held my staff tightly in my left hand in case of an attack. I'll have to admit, being the Scarlett Raven is awesome and all, but you gotta be really careful.

Feliks suddenly went 80 mph which personally scared the living shit out of me and Camilla seeing as how I was scanning the goddamn area for any goddam ENEMIES OR FUTURE HELLHOLES! And how Camilla was probably thinking about that rich Chinese transfer student, Yao.

"Like, Scar you like totally wont believe what totally happened yesterday!" Feliks said.

"What the hell happened?" I answered in a totally blunt voice.

"Like, he was like and she was like, and they were like, and me and Camilla were like OH MY GOD, like totally, and he was like, and she was like, and we were like, and they were like OH MY GOD, like totally!" Well, there's sorta a pattern to what he was saying. If you don't know what Feliks is trying to say, he's telling a story about him and Camilla meeting Vash and Lilli at the mall yesterday.

Vash is xenophobic, meaning he's scared of spending alot of money or to put it simply, he loves cheap things. But, he's really good with guns and occasionally other weapons. He was the one who built my staff for me. He's also known to shoot anyone who comes into his lawn with a shotgun, but his little sister, Lilli, lately convinced him to use a BB gun. He can be pretty cool to hang out with, he's a cool friend.  
Lilli, in contrast to Vash, tries to make friends with the people hwo come into their lawn, althought lately, me and Vash have taught her to beat up suspicious people. I don't think she's really meant for fighting though. She's one of those really sweet and innocent people, one of my closest friends.


	4. The Mysterious Boy

Once Feliks was done with his elongated story, we had already arrived at Wolf Creek High. Wolf Creek High is a really "weird" highschool with a huge-ass university connected to it. Don't you think that's weird? Cuz it sure is to me.

After Feliks parked his pink convertable infront of the buildint, all three of us got out of the car simultaniously and closed the doors with a soft click. I swung my bag over my right shoulder and held my metal staff tightly in my left hand in case of an ambush. Camilla held the lunchbox of pasta flavored dumplings close to her chest tightly and Feliks clutched the handle of the pink hobo purse he slung over his right shoulder.

If you're wondering why this is all such a big deal, it's cuz it is, OK?! I'm not ready to be defeated by anyone! Even if its Superman or whatever I'm up against! I gotta be ready to crush him like an ant!

Well, once I got to the entrance of the huge mansion they call a public school, I knew I was right to be careful. Five tall men who looked exactly alike with the same tan skin, extremly buff bodies, blond mohawks, blue eyes, and piercings all over their drunken faces. Feliks and Camilla stood close to me as the five gangsters with their suspicious neon clothing got closer. They might be afraid, but I wasn't. I stood still as a statue, waiting for them to make the first strike.

Mohawk-Dude 1 got close to Camilla enough to knock the lunchbox of carefully handcrafted pasta dumplings out of her fragile hands, then slap her across the face hard enough to send her flying to the comfortable arms of Antonio Carreido, a tall kind Spaniard with a slender body, olive skin, curly brown hair, and forest green eyes. I guess Antonio is an OK person one you get to know him. Camilla looked uncouncious in his arms. "Gilbert, I htink this chica's uncouncious," he spoke with his light Spanish accent. "Naw dip, Sherlock," I thought.

"Zon't vorry, zhe awesome Gilbert vhill zake her to zhe nurse afzer he vatches zhis awesome fight," "zhe awesome" Gilbert said with his signiture cocky grin. He and Antonio were standing next to each other, both wearing black and brown trench coats with beige scarves.  
Gilbert had white hair, a slender body, blood red albino eyes, and looked like what every typical high school girl dreams of. Although to me, he's just a perverted and narcicsistic bastard. But he's also an awesome fighter although not even half as good as me. We're OK friends.

I gave Feliks a signal to go to Gilbert and Antonio's side. "Don't worry chica, we'll take care of your amigos! You just concentrate on the fight," Antonio reassured.

"Just beat zhe living shit out of zhem!" Gilbert chimed. "Damn right I will," I thought silently to myself with a grin.

I threw my bag to Gilbert who caught it and quoted about how "awesome" he was. Mohawk-Dude 1 stomped on the pasta dumplings Camilla worked so hard to make, which disgusted me.

"You really think you can stand up to us, little bitch?" Mohawk-Dude 2 said, his horrible breath of cigeretts blowing from his yellowed teeth.

"How bout we fuck this bitch, then the hot babe you slapped, and finally that sassy one after we beat the fuck out of this bitch and those two bastards back there," Mohawk-Dude 3 said.

"I call dibs on the sassy one," Mohawk-Dude 4 said, reffering to Feliks. Don't ask, Feliks get mistaken for a girl, ALOT.

"Don't worry, we're gonna each have a turn," Mohawk- Dude 5 said. All fo them laughed which sickened me. The tardy bell marked the start of our fight.  
Mohawk-Dude 1 took the first shot, he tried to grab my arm, but I knocked it away. After that, I uppercutted right on his neck, then kicked his chest stone-hard with my boot strong enough to potentially break a few ribs. Nontheless, he fell down and cried in pain. I skipped gently so that his head was at my feet, then flicked my middle finger in his face, after that I held his chest in place by my staff and faced the other four weaklings. I still held my middle finger up, but in their faces this time. I waved my middle finger left to right, provoking them to come and attack me blindly.

"Why you little-" Mohawk-Dude 2's sentence was cut off as the point of my staff pinned him into the stone-cold sidewalk. Once he was down, I kicked him in the head hard enough for him to roll. I snickered a little as I punched Mohawk-Dude 3 in the face, then kicked him hard in the cest as he landed in the snow, causing the white dust to cover him head to toe. As for Mohawk-Dude 4, I knocked him out by hitting him in the back of my head with my staff. However, as for Mohawk-Dude 5, he peed in his light blue jeans, making those jeans gleaming wet in dark blue. He ran like hell on my heels. "THAT BITCH IS CRAZY AS HELL!" I heard him yell.

After that short fight, I wiped a bit of sweat from my face as I laughed a little from looking at their pathetic faces filled with pain and agony from being beat by a seventeen year old girl.  
"ANYONE ELSE WANNA FIGHT ME?!" I yelled.

Everyone cowered in fear, as if I was a monster.

Well, everyone except my friends. Feliks, who had been recording the whole fight came first. "That was, like, totally awesome Scar, they're, like, totally knocked out so totally bad!"

Gilbert, who was carrying my bag and Antonio who was carrying Camilla bridal style came next. "Great job, chica," Antonio complimented with a huge grin on his face.

"Zhat VAS AWESOME!" Gilbert hollered as he dropped the bag on my left shoulder while pumping his fist into the air. He had his signiture arrogant grin plastered on his face. "I know I was," I said laughing along with them. Camilla woke up a few seconds later, her cheek swollen where Mohawk-Dude 1 slapped her.

"Hola chica, are you alright?" Antonio asked kindly.

Camilla nodded, "but the pasta dumplings I made..." Camilla started, her honey brown eyes looking glossy.

"Vell, zhe awesome Scarlett here, beat zhe living crap out of zhe gangsters who hurt you," Gilbert assured, bringing a smile of accomlishment to my lips.  
I scanned around for a bit, while Antonio, Gilbert, and Feliks try to console Camilla. My gray eyes took up the winter wonderland. The blanket of fresh white snow, the slightly dark blue sky, the strangly humongus school, and barren scenery, it was sorta depressing to think that this could possibly be my last year at Wolf Creek High. But the thing that caught my attention and snapped me out of my sorrowful thoughts was a very tall boy around my age with beautiful thick blond hair, pale white skin, and a built, slender figure with a childishly innocent face. He had the strangest violet eyes I have ever seen. He wore a thick beige trench coat with black pants and boots. On his hands were charcol colored winter gloves and he had a long fluffy white scarf wrapped around his slender neck. He stood desolate in the cold, he looked terribly lonely, it reminded me of myself long ago.

Then he looked to me, my gray eyes meeting his violet ones. His eyes looked so abandoned and filled with so much sorrow, yet so kind as he waved mildly to me.

Just who was this mysterious boy?


	5. Home Room

"Um, like, not to like, intterupt this, like, totally awesome slash emotional moment, but, like the tardy bell just rang, like, when the fight started, so we're gonna be, like, totally late!" Feliks scolded, putting his phone back into his hobo purse.

"Feliks has a point, we should get to class, Camilla, can you go to the Nurse by yourself or do you need us to go with you?" I said.

"The Nurse is right there in the main office when we enter so I'll be fine," Camilla assured innocently. We didn't take any chances and escorted her anyway, even if she was telling the truth. We left the four Mohawk-Dude bastards lying unconcious in the snow. They deserved frostbite and pain in my point of view.

After leaving Camilla in the trusted hands of Nurse Maria, me, Feliks, Gilbert, and Antonio scrambled around the fancy lobby they called a main entrance, searching for the list of names and homerooms. After what felt like hours, Antonio finally found the stupid list.  
Sadly, we were all separated for homeroom. I had Calculus 2 with Mr. Hawkthorne, Feliks had English with Ms. Grey, Gilbert had Spanish with Mr. Jose, Antonio had chemistry with Mr. Blue, and Camilla had Health with Mrs. Gold.

"Well, I guess we're all separated," Antonio said.

"Just remember zhe awesome Gilbert and you vill be fine," Gilbert _falsely _reassured.

"Like, Scar, text me if you, like, get into a totally awesome fight so I could, like, record the whole thing, K?" Feliks said with a slight preppyness to his tone.

I nodded yes to Feliks' retoerical question then fist-bumped each of them. As we eached went our seperate ways, we all acted dramatic, like in those Korean Dramas when someone's about to die or something. I clutched my staff tightly in my hand and made my way to Calculus 2.

I had quite a reputation around here, so people know better than to mess with me. Well, most people.

Once I came in, I saw a regular classroom with thick textbooks on glue smelling wooden shelves and cabinets, a bald old man in a suit as a teacher, tall wooden tables that fit two people for destks, a smartboard, cabinets, a bunch of nerds, and other stereotypes in this room. Everyone looked at me with fear in their crystal clear eyes, even the old man known as Mr. Hawkthorne looked like he was about to pee in his pants. Everyone stared at me with fear and disgust, but I liked it this way.

Yet, there was one person among the fearful crowd that wasn't scared. That person just looked at my direction and smiled, such a hollow smile. He seemed to have a purple aura flickering above his silvery blond head, I didn't really know why, but I didn't really care either.

But what I did care about was that he looked exactly like the man I saw this morning with the childish face and beige trench coat...


	6. His name is Ivan Braginski

A/N: Yeah, this chapter is like just when they meet, sorta crapppy cuz I was so busy with all the holidays and shopping -_-  
Well, Merry Christmas to all who are reading this!

* * *

"Y-you m-must b-b-be Ms. Scarlett Lancer," Mr. Hawkthorne stuttered once he saw the staff nestled in my hand. I gave only a silent, simple nod. An expression of relief filled his wrinkly, old face. "Please take a seat next to Mr. Ivan Braginski...please?" Mr. Hawkthorne winced a little on the last word, but I guess he's old enough to know how to handle people like me.

I sent a wave of fear to the people I passed by as I made my way to the empty seat emitting an empty void and sat down next to the man that looked familiar to me, the man that had a childish grin, lonely violet eyes, and the beige coat. The man known as Ivan Braginski.

He didn't even flinch when I sat down next to him, not een one glance of disgust! He had his violet eyes glued to something, or maybe just blank space. Mr. Hawkthorne went on and on aobut the first day of school shit. I barely paid attention, I was more interested in Ivan. He looked so innocent, but I knew, deep down inside, that behind that innocent appearance, he held a deep dark secret. A secret never to be revealed, like some sort of Pandora's box. It was what made him so intriguing.

20 minutes went by, but there was still about half-an-hour left of this boring lecture. I propped my head on my righth hand and gripped my staff tighter with my left hand, trying not to fall asleep. But of course, I felt my eyelids getting heavier and my muscles gettting weaker.  
A five minute lecture about the scedule by Mr. Hawkthorne feld like a hundred years in boring hell. 5 more lifetime-like minutes passed and then he FINALLY passed out the freakin schedules!

A little explanation of the schedule is that in Wolf Creek High, you have two days, an Alpha day and an Omega day. Your schedule depends on what day it is. So to put it simply, every other day is an Alpha Day, vice versa.

Well, my schedule for an Alpha day is:

2- Mr. Hawkthorne- 1 hour  
2. French Final- Mrs. Von Fish- 1 hour  
3. Break- 1 hour  
4. World History-Ms. Adele-1 hour  
5. -1 hour  
6. Gym-Mrs. Griffen-1 hour

And then of course my schedule for an Omega day is:

2-Mr. Hawkthorne-1 hour  
2. English-Ms. Grey-1 hour  
-1 hour  
4. -1 hour  
-Mrs. Gold- 1 hour  
6. Drama-Ms. Dorothy-1 hour

I kept scanning at the paper I held in my callus-ful hands, reading my schedule over and over again.

"Do you wanna compare schedules-da?~" a Russian accent came from my left. I turned to see that it was Ivan who had spoken to me.

"Sure," I said bluntly as ever, handing him my schedule to look at.

"It looks like we have most of the same classes da.~" Ivan said, a childish yet psycotic grin formed on his face as he gingerly handed me my schedule back. He was right, the only classes I didn't have with him were Perioud 2 classes. His usually depressed violet eyes gleamed joyfully for once, but then got depressed again when the bell rang.

As I walked to French, I couldn't stop thinking about Ivan. That smile he gave me looked real, as though he didn't smile for a really long, long time. He looked geniunally happy for a minute. I have to admit, he didn look a little adorable...WHAT THE HELL AM IS WRONG WITH ME?!

I mentally caught myself.

For all I know, he could be the next person I outta fight next! UGH!


	7. French Class

Once I had arrived in French class, I was relieved to see Vash, Antonio, Lovino, Kiku, and Ludwig. People I know! Vash, the thin, blond, gunloving xenophobic Swiss. Antonio, the Spanish, sorta perverted, green-eyed, churro loving dude. Lovino, the poty-mouthed, tall Italian man with chocolate brown eyes and brown hair with a strange curl bobbing from the left side of his head. He has a natural scowl and is always angry at something in this forsaken world. Kiku, the mysterous Japanese man with otaku hobbies and sort of looks like a girl from behind. he has alot of fangirls and I mean, ALOT! But no one knows who his "special person" is. I ain't a fangirl of his, so we're friends, I guess. And last but not least, Ludwig, a muscular dude wiht slicked blond hair and deep blue eyes, Gilbert's little brother. He has a natural worried face, the COMPLETE OPPISITE of Gilbert. So, a complete stick in the mud. All of us were friends, meaning I get along with all of them fine.

The French class looked exactly like the Math class, except with French textbooks, posters about the French language, and a plump, old lady wearing a pink dress as a teacher. I'm guessing that was Mrs. Von Fish. The desks were tall, wooden coffee tables that fit two people.

Antonio and Lovino sat together cuz they wre like brothers to each other. Well, at least Antonio thinks of Lovino as a brother. Lovino probably only thinks of Antonio as a tomato loving bastartd, or he just doesn't want to admit he really cares for Antonio on the inside. Kiku and Ludwig sad together cuz they're like best friends and their both covert perverts.

Me and Vash sat together cuz we're freinds and there's really no where else to sit. I wonder what the other people thought, the powerful, rebelious vigilante, Scarlett, sitting with a guy in army camoflauge who's known for shooting anyone who comes into hsi lawn. Pretty scary duo, don't you think? Mrs. Von Fish was slightly intimidated. Although, not as scared as everyone else. Mrs. Von Fish went on and on about the "Beauties of the French Language" we would be learning about this year for like, half of the block. Vash, Ludwig, and Kiku seemed to pay attention. But not me, Antonio, or Romano. Sometime in the middle of the boring lecture, Antonio passed me a note writted on crusty yellow notebook paper saying,

"Let's compare schedules."

I replied back, "Sure." I folded my schedule with the note and passed it back to him. It's a good thing Mrs. Von Fish was focused on the popularity-obsessed weirdos. Antonio compared our schedules together and than a third schedule which I'm guessing was Lovino's. Lovino was already fast asleep, his curl was bobbing from the left side of his head. I had a strange urge to pull it, but it might get all three of us in trouble. Last time someone tried to pull his curl was in Kindergarten, when me, Lovino, and Antonio first met. Lovino was really pissing me off, so we got in huge fight and I pulled his stupid curl, and the fight only worsened. Antonio tried to break us apart, but he ended up becoming the "Neutral Land," and he ended up becoming part of the battlefield. We all got into detention and eventually bonded by finding an awesome escape to the arcade.

I waited for what felt like hours in boring hell, which in reality, was five minutes until Antonio passed me a note written on the same yellow crusty notebook paper:

"Sadly, chica, the only classes we have together are this, English, Gym, and Drama, and you only have this class and English with Lovino."

My heart sank after reading the note. None of my friends were in the same homeroom as me, and Antonio and Lovino weren't in many classes with me. I wonder if Vash was in any other classes with me. I really don't wanna be stuck in a room with a bunch of GPA obssesed people who treat me as a Freak.

I know how seriously Vash took the lectures, so I waited for the damn bell to ring before asking him. After what felt like a thousand years in hell's library, the bell FINALLY rang, signaling the one hour break. Antonio made the fatal mistake of pulling Lovino's curl to wake him up. The stupid Spaniards cries of pain from being beat up by the hot-headed Italian could be heart all the way in the University from what I heard.

Well, Antonio sorta deserved it, so I thought I should just savor this moment. After Ludwig had dragged Antonio to the nurse, bringing Lovino with him, I thought it was the right moment to ask Vash.

When I turned around to ask Vash, I saw that the neutral loving Swiss had fallen asleep. His shaggy blond hair covered his face as he slept. "I'll just ask him later," I thought to myself. He looked so innocent when he slept, I didn't want to wake him.

Pretty soon, I dug into my backpack to find my lunch. Francis had made me a crossant with honey smoked ham, fresh green lettace, and neatly cut slices of tomatoes. I had a bottle of Dear Park water to go with it.

"Um, Scarlett-san, wourd you rike to have some runch with me and Fericiano-kun?" a quiet, Japenese accented voice said. I recognized the voice belonging to Kiku.

"Sure," I replied. I thought it would be nice to eat with some old buds.

After I said sure, I felt a dark, eerie presence coming from a small-framed Taiwanese girl with neat waiste-length light brown hair and flawless white skin, wearing a pink dress with pink flowers in her hair. I guess she was one of Kiku's die-hard fangirls. She seemed like the jealous type, but she really has nothing to be jealous about. I mean like, me and Kiku were only good friends. Nothing more, nothing less.


	8. Sunflowers and Secrets

"We should probably go find Feliciano," I said.

"Hai," Kiku replied.

"PASTAAAAA! PASTA TASTES SO GOOD! PASTA, PASTA, PASTA! CAMILLA'S PASTA IS THE BEST!" a high pitched, weak sounding Italian accented voice rang through the air. I recognized the voice belonging to Lovino's younger brother, Feliciano.

A pasta obssesed Italian man with brown hair and amber eyes known as Feliciano, Lovino's brother, came to the scene. Well, I guess we don't have to find him now. Let's say he has a face that just makes you wanna beat him up. He's Lovino's twin, so he looks like him, just stupider and with a curl drooping down the right side of his head.

He also really likes Camilla, but he knows how much she loves Yao and wants her to be happy. I guess I sorta feel bad for him.

"So, you guys wanna just eat here?" I asked.

"Well...Me and Kiku wanted to eat outside so we could play with the pretty butterflies in the school's Sunflower Garden ~Veh!" Feliciano said.

"Alright then, let's ditch," I said, swinging my bag on my right shoulder, I ate my lunch with my right hand as we walked and held my staff in my left hand.

After 5 minutes of walking, we finally made it. But by the time we got there, I had already finished eating my lunch.

The Sunflower Garden was truely beautiful, but not truly outside. The beautiful golden flowers were real, but the sky was only beautifully painted. This was a place for reasearch, so the sunlight was of course, artificial and the seemingly real heat came from heaters. The room was truly large, about the size of a meadow. A meadow of beautiful Sunflowers.  
Once all three of us were inside, we chose a place near the exit. Most people didn't know about this place, so we were probably the only ones here. Feliciano and Kiku sat down across from each other and while Kiku politely ate his food, Feliciano scarfed his down like a pig. Feliciano's lunch was pasta, of course, and Kiku had a boxed lunch called a "bento box" that some girl randomly placed on his doorstep yesterday.  
However, as for me, I laid down on my back with my bag to the right side of my head and my staff to the left of my body. I looked at the perfectly painted light blue sky with its still, white cotton puffs known as clouds. It was as if time had stopped in this room. The Sunflowers had not reached its full growth yet, meaning they weren't that tall, yet. I rested my head on my hands and began to think about life. The still clouds made it hard to tell time, but easy to slip into your own little world. I began to suddenly think of Ivan. There was somehting about him, somehting so hard to explain. It was like I wanted to know him better, and what way was getting to know someone better than a good old fight? But, should I fight him? He seemed like a nice person and didn't look like he would hurt anyone.  
My thoughts were interrupted when Kiku came and sat down next to me. I didn't see Feliciano, so I guess he was chasing some random butterfly. i looked up at Kiku, his black hair glistening a goldish-brownish in the artificial sunlight, his skin sorta glowed a little, and his small, dark brown eyes were focused on somehting far away. His small, rare smile made his face happy, giving him a joyful expression, unlike his black, mysterious expression.

"What's up? Was the lunch good?" I asked Kiku, looking up at him.

He looked down to me, his smile still there, but a little wider. which personally freaked me out a little. He replied, "Yes, the runch was very good, I wirr have to thank the girl who made me the runch rater." His expression turned a little gloomy when he mentioned the girl.

"Is she your 'special someone'?" I asked. If he's gloomy , he's probably worried about getting rejected by this girl if he's so depressed all of a sudden.

"No, she's not my 'special someone', because I don't think my special someone knows how to cook, and I don't think she would write a note like this," Kiku handed me a pink paper decorated with red hearts, lipstick markds, and Kiku's name decorated fancily inside hearts. This is waht it said:

"Dear Kiku,  
I have loved you ever since the first day I met you! You are so KAWAII! YOU ARE TEN THOUSAND TIMES THE KAWAIINESS OF YOUR KAWAII ANIMALS! NOT ONLY ARE YOU KAWAII, YOU'RE SO NICE AND POLITE, WHICH ONLY ADD TO YOUR KAWAII POINTS! I THE WAY YOU WALK, BREATHE, EAT, RUN, SWEAT, WRITE, AND THE WAY YOU READ! EVERYTHING YOU DO IS SO KAWAII~! EVEN THE WAY YOU CHOKE, COUGH, SNEEZE, DRINK, SING, AND THE WAY YOU TALK! PLZ PLZ PLZ GO OUT WITH ME!

YOUR FUTURE WIFE,  
MEI FAO WANG "

After reading the note, I looked up at Kiku, who had a gloomy aura above him. Well, I would be a teensy bit creeped out if I were him.

"You're scared of saying the wrong thing, right?" I said as I slowly sat up, which my spine and neck protested against.

"How did you know, Scarlett-san?" Kiku asked me with confusion.

"I know cuz I'm smart. Just tell her she seems like a nice girl and all and you think its pretty cool that she cares about you alot. but your in love wiht someone else. Tell her that she should fall for a better person next time. Just let her down easy, whatever you do, OK, Kiku? Women are more sensitive than you think," I told him. I mean this Mei girl really seems to love him, even if she's a little bit TOO possesive. But, I still wonder who this "special someone" is.

"Arigato, Scarlett`san," he said.

"No prob," I said giving him a small smile. I could have sworn his face turned a little pink when I smiled. Was he sick or something?  
"Kiku?Are you sick? You feel a little warm and your face is all red," I said, feeling his forehead whihc was feeling really warm.

"Uh, no, its just that I stayed up late reading manga last night," Kiku said, his face only got redder. Soon his face was so red, it made him look redder than one of Antonio's tomatinas. I guess he was just sick or something.

I laid back down in my origianl position with my hands behind my head and my body flat on the dark green grass. "You should take better care of yourself, Kiku. We can't have you dyin on anyone of uss," I said. Kiku gave me a silent nod, and the small, are smile came back. We stayed like this for a bit, me laying down and gazing at the still, white clouds and kiku sitting next to me, just staring blankly at the sky as well. Both of us were in our own little world.

It was as if time stopped for a while, until Feliciano came running back, crying.

"What's up, Feli?" I asked, TRYING to sit up, which, my spine and neck really hated.

"I waz-a chasing t-t-his r-random butterfly, then I met this-a tall and-a crazy man. He-a waz beating up-a couple of-a punks who were talking bad about you." Feliciano said, half-crying, half-like-begging for mercy.

"And I'm guessing you held up a white flag and ran for the sake of pasta?" I asked, i knew him well enough.

"Si, Please-a DON'T HURT ME! I HAVE RELATIVES IN BROOKLYN!" Feliciano screamed at the top of his lungs

"Chill, Feli. I'm not gonna hurt you. OR WILL I?" I said in a morbid voice wiht a psycotic expression, making Feliciano scream in fear behind a shocked Kiku.  
I laughed at Felicinao's pathetic, cowardly face just cus it was downright hilarious. But, of course, you can't laugh forever. I could remember and laugh later, though.

"Chill, Feli, I was only joiking, but can you describe him for me?" a sudden keen interest began to build.

"Si, he was-a really tall, about 6 ft. or so~ Veh. He also had really pale skin~ Veh. He had straight, but messy blond har~ Veh. He wore a beige coat and a pinkish scarf~ Veh. But his violet eyes WERE SO-A SCARY, LIKE THE DEVIL!" Feliciano screamed like a kid waking up from a nightmare about getting eaten by a ferocious monstorus beast. But the description matched Ivan perfectly. Ivan was tall, had straight, but tousled blond hair, pale white skin, and wore a beige coat, pinkish white scarf, and had violet eyes holding a dark secret.

I grabbed my metal staff and bag with haste. "Where did you see him?" I asked Felicinao with a litttle bit of happiness in my voice. "I saw him outside in the school's outside courtyard,~Veh!"

"Scarlett`san, he could be dangerous, we're coming with you," Kiku said with worry.

"OK, you take Feli, both of you follow me,: I said, racing out the Sunflower Garden.

I had to se this! I knew he was hiding somehting behind his childishly innoncent face! If he's really that strong then, I want to fight him! No! I NEED TO FIGHT HIM!  
I sprinted through the fancy 5-star hotel-esque hallways. Ignoring many old teachers yelling at me, Feliciano, and kiku to slow down. Psh, like I gave a damn.  
After running around for God knows how long, I FINALLY found the courtyard. "DAMN THIS SCHOOL IS HUGE!" I thought out loud.  
I slowly opened the doors, as to not expose my presence. Kiku covered Felicinao's mough, so Felicinao's cries were silenced. i heard the sound of metal clashing and the sound of fists pounding into exposed skin, causing the sicking crack of fractured bones. I recognized the man in a thick beige coat wiht purple eyes as Ivan. His childish expression and face were replaced wiht a psycotic and insane one. His hollow smile was replaced by one filled with murderous intent. His neatly cut out bangs now covering his left eye, which I found sort of attractive. His violet eyes were filled with...bloodlust? No, it couldn't be. It was something entirely diffrent. Something I just coulden't put my finger on. But, his expression looked more relaxed, as if he was showing his true colors. He looked actually evil

And his strength was the most surprising of all...


	9. Ivan Braginski, My new Rival Part 1

Me, Feliciano, and kiku hid behind a red brick wall silently. We were sorta surprised to find Feliks there, eating a salad with a box of strawberry pocky sticks while recording the whole thing on his wicked hipster pink IPhone.  
I grabbed for a pocky stick from the box and popped it into my mouth. Damn, it was good! I could see why Feliks and the others are so addicted to this stuff.

"Enjoying the fight, Feliks?" I asked, whispering it inot his ear in a morbid, raspy voice. Feliks flinched a little after hearing my voice.

"Like, Scar, you like totally scared me!" Feliks whispered back.

"Yeah, wateves," I said, turning my attention back to the fight that was just getting good.

Some weird dude with peirvings all over his nose and spiky hair wearing a t-shirt that said "I Camilla," tried to punch Ivan in the face. But, I van quickly grabbed his wrist and twisted it back, making a sickening crack. Then he flipped the dude harshly, causing him to fall in the cold white snow and breathe heavily. Ivan then stomped on his chest, causing him to spurt out crimson blood.

Ivan turned to a diffrent dude who also wore an "I Camilla" t-shirt. Ivan brought out a long metal faucet pipe from what I THINK was his pocket. Ivan wacked him upside the head, causing the dude to be knocked out almost instantly. But Ivan didn't stop there. He had to kick the guy hard enough for him to roll into the brick wall. Ivan approached someone else, someone who wore bright-neon clothing. I later recognized as Mohawk-Dude 5. He tried to beg for mercy patheticly on his hands and knees. But Ivan's eyes showed no pity. Only a lust for blood.  
Ivan kicked Mohawk-Dude 5 stone-hard into the brick wall, bruising him badly. Mohawk-Dude 5 clutched his stomach where Ivan had kicked him. Ivan punched him straight on the face with an insane grin on his face. I could have sword some teeth were knocked out. But that wasn't the end. Ivan kicked Mohawk-Dude 5 like a a human soccer ball, using the brick walls as "goals." Ivan laughed maniacally as the pure white snow became tainted with red blood. Mohawk-Dude 5, I know he wasn't dead, but I could tell he deserved this. I know Mohawk-Dude 5 did something terribly wrong.  
I watched as Ivan collapsed to his knees. He still laughed manically, but it was as if only I could see the tears falling behind his insane exterior. After 5 minutes of his mania, he rose to his feet one more and said, "Thats what you get for calling me and Scarlett 'Freaks of Nature,'~da!" in the most childish tone with the most childish expression. I could tell he was crying on the inside. How could someone say something so cruel? Something so sad?  
Ivan held his faucet pipe tightly in his hand and walked past me, Feliks, Feliciano, and Kiku. "I'll see you in World History,~da,"Ivan whispered into my ear, sending a few chills down my spine. Feliks stared at me, wide-eyed, demanding for an answer. He pressed stop on his iPhone and closed the empty plastic box that once contained his lunch. Feliciano was clinging onto Kiku, still. When I looked closer at Feliciano's eyes, I could see teardrops at the edge of his eyes. Fear was clearly shown in his amber orbs. Kiku, however, remained calm, cool, and collected. His expressionless face, showed no fear. Ivan, he held a deep secret behind his beautiful violet eyes. After seeing him fight like that, it made me NEED to fihgt him.  
His strength was too amazing for words. The bloodlust in his eyes made me yearn for a battle. I could even hear my staff begging for a fight.

I took a tour around the courtyard by myself, taking in fresh breaths of winter's air. I saw many other people lying uncouncious in the cold snow. They were all buff and extremely muscular men. From their looks, I could tell they were part of some gang. There was white dust covering them head to toe. Occasionally, there would be some red blood tainting the pure white snow surronding them.  
Feliks stared and took pictures of the scene. Feliciano cowered behind a silently shocked Kiku, and I said with a psycotic smile that crepped along my face, "Ivan Braginski, you are officially my new rival!"


	10. Couples and Battles

Feliciano and Kiku stared at me as if I was insane. However, Feliks said,"Like, Scar, this would so totally,like, make,like, such a totally awesome series. We are so gonna be, like, totally famous!" Well, Feliks' dream is to one day be a famous movie maker/fashion designer. Which he is on the right track to be.

"Are you sure,Scarlett-san? It might be dangerous," Kiku said, worried as ever.

"Now look, Kiku, if I make a mistake in life, I'll just pick myself up by the bootstraps and keep on going," I said proudly and confidently.  
Besides, I don't fight for the fame, money, or status, I fight for the hell of it. Fighting is fun, even if you don't realize it. Fighting sometimes also helps you learn things better than in school, sometimes. I personally find fighting the best thing to do.

"Just don't get hurt, Veh~ But you two should make Pasta, not war!Veh~" Feliciano said, cheerfully.

"Well, Feli, there are two reasons why I make war, not pasta. One, I can't cook, and two, to me, life is a constant battle. Sometimes violence is the only way out," I said.

"I LIKE PASTA~VEH!" Feliciano exclaimed.

I did a physical and mental facepalm. "That really killed the moment," I thought in my head.

"Like, that totally just runined it!" Feliks cried. I guess he was recording my awesome speech to post it online, somewhere, I guess.

"Well, anyways, we should get out of here, I don't wanna be part of THIS mess," I said, gesturing to all the people lying uncouncious in the freezing cold.

"Hai," "Pasta!," and "Like, Totally," were heard and we ditched to take a tour around this gigantor mansion they call a high school slash university.

We had like, twenty minutes left, so we all talked like there was no tommarow, except maybe Kiku, who remained moderately quiet. Feliks, Feliciano, and I talked about clothes, shopping, and of course, pasta. Kiku added to the conversation every once in a while.  
We had practicallly walked around HALF of the highschool and are exhausted! I mean, i know whoever built it was rich, but SHEESH, who asked him to make it so DAMN HUGE?! We sat down in one of those outdoor hallways connecting the High School Building A with Highschool Building B.

(OK, just so we're clear, the High School has 3 buildings:Building A, Building B, and BUilding C. And lets say the University is ALOT BIGGER!)  
I just layed down in the middle of the outdoor corridor and looked to the triangular roof of the building. The small pillars connecting the floor to the roof made large openings to see the outside, but not big enough to jump out and escape. The sky was a brighter blue than before, but still very cloudy. The big white heaps of snow and ice were still there. Me, Feliks, and Kiku gazed out the window-like opennings and admired Alaska's winter wonderland.  
Feliciano, however, was staring at something, or rather someone while clenching his fists tightly and biting his bottom lip harshly, as if trying to hold back the tears that were desperately trying to fall.  
I was the first to notice this. I got up and asked, "Hey, Feli, wat's wrong?" Feliciano's disappointed amber eyespretended to look happy, making his expression a little more joyful. "Oh, its-a just that-a I -a ate-a all of-a Camilla's pasta~Veh!"  
Only a dumbass would believe that horrible lie. Feliciano's fist only clenched a little harder and his expression did NOT look believable at ALL! Sure it may work on other people, but it sure as hell didn't on me!

Ignoring wat he said, which may or may not be true, I looked in the direction he looked. I saw Camilla eating Chinese tasty treats and dumplings with green tea while laughing and talking to a thin Chinese man, around 17, with chocolate brown bangs that framed his face and hair that was already long for a male pulled back into a ponytail. He was wearing a black business suit with black buisiness pants, and a green collar shirt adorned with a loose black tie, and leather shoes. He had a basket big enough to hold a baby panda strapped to his back.  
That man is Yao, Camilla's crush. Camilla told me that she loved him because his honey brown eyes shoed lonliness and kindness, and because he loved her for who she was rather than what she looked like. If Yao was really all those things, I wouldn't beat him up, which I'm not sure if he was.

Camilla and Yao looked really happy together. Ash shown in their smiling expressions, constatn laughter, and that look in their eyes. It was as if they were meant to be together. This was what's called "True Love."

I looked at Feliciano, who's eyes were downcast. His fists were still clenched with jealousy. This is what's called "Unrequited Love."  
Kiku, Feliks, and I tried to help Feli by telling him "You'll find someone else," "There are other girls out there," and "Camilla's not the only perfect girl out there, there are other beautiful girls."

Felicinao didn't believe us, I could tell. He has had a crush on Camilla ever since 2nd Grade, and now, ten years later, he's never once looked at another girl. I felt really bad for him, having his heart broken by the girl he loved for ten years. but Camilla is my bestest friend, so she's someone I could never bring myself to hurt.

"Like, Feli, there are like, more totally cool girls like Camilla out there, you just gotta, like, totally fall for, like, the next totally Camilla-like girl next," Feliks said which didn't really help AT ALL.

"Feriks-kun is right, Fericiano-kun, there are more girls out there who deserve you," Kiku said, partially helping, while patting his back.  
Well, its time for me to be the Therapist around here. I grabbed the partially crying Feliciano by the collar of his shirt so that he was at least a head taller than me, so I could look straight up into his amber eyes. Once I did, I said, "Look, Feli, you really love Camilla, dont you?"

"Si," a weaker than usual voice responded to me.

"Then...QUIT YOUR PATHETIC CRYING AND GET BACK ON YOUR FEET!" I yelled harshly in his face. I dropped him carelessly, letting him drop on his back.

"How would Camilla feel if she saw you like this?" I asked him. Kiku and Feliks looked at me as if I was a crazy psycopath.

"She would be worried~Veh?" Even his usually happy "Veh" sounded gloomy.

"Correct! And you want her to be happy, right?"

"Si," Feliciano's voice got gloomier by the second.

"Then, at least pretend to be happy for her. And just cuz she loves Yao, doesn't mean she cares any less aobut you. Your still out crazy-Pasta-loving Feliciano. Tell you wat, how about after school, after my fight, we go eat some pasta? Just you, me, Lovino, Feliks, Kiku, Ludwig, Gilbert, and Antonio. We'll split the bill so you don't have to pay, OK?"

Feliciano's stupid face lit up at the word pasta. I could already tell, this was going to be one hell of a bill.

"Wait, Scar, like, who are you, like, totally fighging?" Feliks asked.

"Ivan Braginski, you know, the man who gave hell to all those gangsters," I replied bluntly.

"Veh~ then-a after Scarlett-a kicks his sorry ass, we can go get PASTA!" Feliciano exclaimed.

Even thouhgh they all think I can win, I'm not sure I could. There was something about Ivan that tells me that there was ALOT more to his strength then meets the eye. And that fight I just saw, I van was barely using any power. And this feeling that I can't describe very well. Like my heart is racing and my stomach does cartwheels when I'm with him. What was that feeling? Its so different, so unfamiliar. I don't think I've ever felt this way before. UGH! ITS SO FRUSTRATING!


	11. Our First Battle

Then, of course, the goddamn bell had to ring.

"Well,like, me and Feli have chemistry with Mr. Blue so,like, totally dueces!"Feliks said, going to Building A.

"Well, I have Carcurus One with Mr. Hawktorne, so I guess I wirr meet you rater at the cafe, Scarlett-san," Kiku said polietely. His class was in Building A as well. I looked at my schedule and Ms. Adele's class was all the way in Building FREAKIN C! SCREW THIS SCHOOL! WHY DID MY CLASS HAVE TO BE SO DAMN FAR?!

And of course, the tardy bell had to ring and I haven't even made it to Building B. I grabbed my messenger bag and staff, then charged to Building C like bats escaping from hell. But...of course, luck was not on my side today. Building B just HAD to be so freakin huge. It took me, what felt like hours to get past that labirynth!

Of course, by the time I reached Building C, I was already ten whole minutes late. Now I just had to find her class which was gonna be a living hell since this building was huge!

Well, it turns out that it was the classroom in the very back of the 3rd floor in Building C. Giant school right?

I opened the door carelessly, shocking the small class of 25 students and the bony old teacher wearing a pink dress that really didn't match her meter stick and white hair. The teacher was also really short, roughly about half of my height. Puny, right?That was Ms. Adele. I could feel a glare full of disgust burning through my head and I could already tell this was gonna be a rough year.

"MS. SCARLETT LANCER, YOU ARE AN ENTIRE TWENTY MINUTES LATE! WHAT WOULD YOUR PARENTS SAY TO A DISGRACEFUL LOWLIFE DAUGHTER LIKE YOU?!" That wrinky old hag said.

OK, she officially crossed the line and I only knew her for, like, I don't know, a couple of seconds! I bent down and picked her up by the collar of her pink dress, not caring about the consequences. I was about to strike her small, round head with my staff, until someone blocked my staff with a faucet pipe. I dropped the useless old lady and looked up to see Ivan's childish expression.

"If you hurt her, the teachers might expell you ~da," Ivan said, his childish expression never fading.

"Why do you care?" I asked, pointing my staff at his face, full of annoyance.

"Kol Kol Kol, you shouldn't point that in my face," Ivan said,a dark purple aura flickring behind him. I have to admit I find this a little cute, especially his "Kol Kol Kol."

"If you wanna fight, we should take this outside," I said, flickring my purple aura.

our auras danced across the room as we stared at each other. The sound of metal clashing ran through the air as my staff and Ivan's pipe hit each other. I looked into his beautiufl puple eyes now filled with trying to hold back his strength.

Why was he trying to hold back?

Ignoring what I said, Ivan tried to attack my feet, but I wasn't stupid. I jumped to the side to dodge it. Our eyes never left each other for a second. I tried to land a kick on his head, but he grabbed my foot and tossed me gently to the side. I could tell he was barely using any strength. I used the nearby desk to get back on my feet. I went for his feet this time, but I underestimated him badly.

I managed to trip him and he fell against the smart board thing. I held my staff dangerously close to his face.

"I will tell you, you have come farther than anyone else. But you still cannot win ~da!" Ivan said with a psycotic grim. FINALLY, he was using at least 75% of his strength against me.

He grabbed my staff and flung me to the side. I fell with my back against the wall, the force knocked the wind out of my lungs, but I could tell he still  held alot back. WHY? WHY DID HE HOLD BACK?! WAS IT BECAUSE HE THOUGHT I WAS WEAK? No, I could tell in his eyes he saw me as an equal, but then, why the hell did he hold back?

He pointed the top of his faucet pipe to my face. His height towered above me. He came closer, his pipe touching my face. I was still as a statue, expecting him to hit me like a rival would. but he didn't. He carefully inched closer to me and pushed some stray hair out of my face with his pipe, like a little kid.

"Aren't you going to finish me off?" I asked.

"..." Only silence filled the room.

"Well...ARE YOU?" I asked curiously with a slight edge to my voice.

"..." Still no answer.

"Are you going to stay silent just because you beat me?" I asked full of rage.

It stayed silent for what felt like a few hours or so, our eyes locked in each other's gaze. His eyes showed an unfamiliar emotion. What was it? Ivan broke the silence by saying,"Nyet, I won't kill you, nemnogo podsolnechnogo." He said that with a smile on his face. His smile was childish once more.

"Why? Why won't you kill me off?" I asked. Ivan removed the pipe from my face. And instead of answering with words, he got on top of me and held my hands in place so I couldn't move. Damn, he was stong. I couldn't move at all. What was he going to do? I wanted to punch him, but at the same time, I knew I couldn't bring myself to do so.

"I've already won, and besides, don't want to kill you, podsolnechnik," Ivan whispered mysteriously into my ear.

He smiled like a joyful child recieving the present he wished for so long on Christmas. My stomach did cartwheels and my heart started to race again. what was this damn feeling? After five minutes, he got off me. The numbness in my hands reminded me of his great strength.

But my heart sank, I lost my first fight EVER! To Ivan Braginski, my new rival. I felt so depressed as the bell rang. i lost my fight ever, on September 4th, 20xx to Ivan Braginski, the man I'm now determined to defeat.


	12. A Dance With the Devil

My next class was Chemistry with Mr. Blue, and of course, it just had to be in Building A, didn't it? Ivan walked alongside me, silently, both of us carrying our weapons and walking side-by-side in suffocating silence. Ivan and I were deemed ten minutes late, but the teacher, , was a kind man and didn't mark ups tardy.  
The class wasn't very large. Each desk fit two people. I was happy to see Gilbert and Ludwig sitting together and Gilbert waving to me like a dumbass. I took a seat in the back with Ivan.  
None of our auras flickered during the whole block, but that didn't mean our frightening demeanors were gone. Ludwig and Gilbert had the desk right next to us.

Gilbert had known me for a long time, so he knew something was up the moment he saw my face. During Mr. Blue's boring-as-hell lecture, Gilbert passed me at note saying in his own"awesome" handwriting,

"Hey, Scarlett your lookin unawesome, wats up?"

I wrote back, "I lost my first fight to Ivan Braginski, the dude sitting next to me."

The German albino scanned the note with his blood-red orbs again and again as though if he didn't, a zombie acopolyse would come. But evantually, he wrote back, "You fought Ivan Braginski and awesomely survived without a scratch?"

"Naw dip, sherlock, he made me lose, but he was holding back," I wrote back, anger filling me again upon recalling that act of mercy.

"You gotta be careful, Ivan is ruthless, living through a fight is awesome, although not as awesome as me. But he's known to torture his enemies before killing them slowly and painfully, and I don't wanna lose any ALMOST-AS-AWESOME-AS-ME friends.

P.S. I'M AWESOMER THAN YOU!" he wrote back.

"Hey, go to the Italian Cafe after school, bring Ludwing with you.

P.S. NO, I'M AWESOMER THAN YOU!" I wrote back

Well, lets just say Mr. Blue caught me and Gilbert passing notes. We were extremely lucky he let us off with a warning.

After that long block, me, Gilbert, and Ludwig walked together to the Gym. I told them about how Feliciano's heart was broken because of Camilla and then Gilbert started talking about his "awesomeness," as if he had any to begin with. We all promised to meet each other at "Little Italy Cafe" by 5:00 pm with Anotonio, Feliciano, Feliks, Kiku, and Lovino. I felt bad about not inviting Camilla, but I wanna help Feliciano with his heartbreak.

We all reached the gym on time and was welcomed by a buff, blond woman wearing a track suit. She looked like a supermodel. That was Mrs. Griffen, our gym teacher. It was pretty awesome that Vash, Gilbert, Camilla, Feliks, Antonio, Kiku, Arthur, and Alfred were there.

Arthur is one of my "frienamies." He's a British blond. He's well-fit with emerald green eyes and bushy eyebrows that reminds me of caterpillars. He's one of those elegant people. We don't get along that well because of my unladylike personality, but we have our moments. Also, his cooking tastes like crappy shit.  
Alfred is Arthur's little brother, although he's taller. He has an unhealthy diet of hamburgers and junk food. He has blond hair and bright blue orbs for eyes. He wears glasses, but is only OK in intellegince level. We get along alright. We would get along better if he didn't constantly talk about how he's "The Hero." He's pretty hyper, a little annoying, but cool.

The nine of us sat together. Only Kiku, Vash, Arthur, and Camilla were paying attention. Feliks filled Antonio in on making Feliciano feel better. Antonio would be coming with us with Lovino.  
Alfred, Gilbert, and I talked about other things. We first, filled Alfred in about how I lost the fight. Alfred, of course, then talked about how he saved someone from eating one of Arthur's scones. Me and Gilbert both agreed that was true heroism there. It took half the class for Mrs. Griffen to realize we weren't paying attention, but of course, Camilla bailed us out. It was eigth grade all over again. Camilla bailing us out, I mean.  
When the lecture about P.E., where all of us looked at Alfred, was finally over, we still had sadly, twenty minutes left. Which meant...we had to dance. Part of this school's crazy, independent curriculum, was ballroom dancing. Which meant twenty minutes of dancing the waltz with zero weapons. All the dudes, of course, asked Camilla to dance with them. Camilla agreed to dance with Arthur because she knew him best. Fliks had to dance with Vash because Feliks wasn't tall enough to dance with any girl in the class and cuz Vash was trying to be neutral as always.  
Kiku, Gilbert, Antonio, and Alfred were already being fought over by a bunch of girls, so I couldn't dance with them. The four of them ended up having to dance with crazy fangirls who creeped them out. God, I felt sorry for them, but it was the teacher's descision, and besides, its fun watching their pathetic faces.  
Pretty soon, everyone was taken except Ivan. All the girls were too afraid of him and thought he was the Devil or somehting, but I didn't.

"Do you have a partner, da?" Ivan asked me with a childish grin.

"No," I replied bluntly. Without saying anything, Ivan took my small hand into his larger one like a little kid. The music started to play. He pulled my closer by putting one arm around my waist and holding my hand with his free one. I put my other hand on his shoulder.

His height of 6'5 towered above my 5'6. As we danced, or at least tried to, Ivan's childish grin never faded. Even when I stepped on his foot multiple, multiple times. He was way better at this than I am. I kept trying not to make eye contact with him, because my stomach would just start to do cartwheels again. My heart was already racing from being so close to him.

Goddamn, this feeling is so weird. I kept on stepping on his foot. I finally gave in and looked directly into his amazing amythest eyes. Then as I remembered out fight, it made me want to fight him again. He was the only one that could beat me. The competitive side of me wanted to fight him again and again until I finallly beat him to a pulp.  
As we danced more, and more I looked into his eyes and constantly step on his feet that were probably sore right now, I noticed something particular in those beautiful eyes. I saw something I've never seen before. Something so warm yet so sad, and that seemed like only I could see.  
Just what is it?


	13. The Rumours

The dismissal bell rang, marking the end of the day. I broke the gaze to look at the time. It was 2:00 p.m. Finally! The long, hellish day finally ended! Now I just have to drop Camilla at her house with Feliks then I could go help Feliciano with his heartbreak and hang out with some of my buds.  
However, Ivan wasn't quick to let go. He held onto my hand as if it were a piece of paper, light as a feather about to fly away in the wind. He pulled me closer for a tight embrace as if he didn't want me to leave. His heart was racing and so was mine, and my stomach was doing loopty-loops. Part of me wanted to stay like this, but a diffrent part of me know I had to go.

"Ivan?" I asked.

"Da?" He said with his adorable Russian accent.

"What are you doing?" As if he were a child who did something wrong, he quickly pulled away.

"Oh, I'm sorry, da~" Ivan said, playing with his fingers like a child. Which I found kinda cute.

"You don't have to apoligize. Well, I gotta go, see you tommarrow, Ivan!" I said, grabbing my bag and staff.

"Oh, one more thing," I started.

"Da? What is it?" Ivan replied.

"Lets fight again tommarow," I said, smiling at him joyfully.

"Da~! We should fight again,~" His voice was childish and joyful, but I swar I heard a twinge of disappointment. Must have been my imagination.

He waved good-bye to me like how a child would. Its sorta strange that when children, such as my sisters and a few others do these childish things, I just feel sorta disgusted. Cuz their only doing it to gain attention. But when Ivan did those childish things, it seemed as though only I found it undeniably cute.  
I knew Feliks and Camilla were waiting at the exit, so of course, I took my sweet time. It was so hilarious, their expressions when I arrive late. And of course, they were angry with Late Little Me.

"Like, Scar, you really, like totally being late, like don't you?" Feliks asked with slight anger to his voice and putting his hands on his hips.

"Yep, your expressions are classic.~" I said, sorta singing on the last word.

"Like, totally whatever, come on, let's get to the car and like totally ditch," Feliks said, basicly grabbing my hand and DRAGGING me to his pink convertable.

"Well, someone's having their time of the month," I said as I was BEING DRAGGED by my Polish friend through the hallways and parking lot and to the car. SHEESH, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HIM?!  
Camilla followed us in silence, while probably thinking of Yao. I wonder what she saw in him. But, REALLY? SHE WON'T HELP ME?! I'M BEING DRAGGED FOR GOD'S SAKE! UGH!

Well, I gotta admit, Feliks is pretty strong. I mean, like, I have a HUGE appitite. I may look fit, but I probably weigh as much as much as an elephant.  
Once we got to the goddamn car, Feliks hopped into the driver's seat, I climbed into the passenger seat, and Camilla got the back left. Feliks looked extremely focused on something. I guess e got an idea for a new line of clothing or something. Or, he's just a little pissed cuz I was late again!  
I watched as the small, Polish man started up the engine and started driving like there was no tommarow. He was a little hunched over like a speed demon. "oh hell no!" I thought out loud. The only reason why he would be going THIS fast is cuz...he ran out of fabric.  
But then i remembered, didn't he buy some two days ago? I guess he's just working a little too hard. The mood was a little tense, so I thought I should lighten it up a little.

"So, how are things with you and Yao?" I asked Camilla who was in La La Land thinking of Yao.

"Oh, um...he's really, really nice and cute..." and then se was of into her own world again. She played wiht her narrow fingers and she was blushing a shade of rose-red when she talked about Yao.

For God's sake, are they STILL in the friend zone? Well, I guess I can't blame them. They probably just don't wanna ruin their friendship.  
The ride to Camilla's house was awkwardly silent, which only added to the level of dread in the long to her house. Along the way, I began to think of Ivan, AGAIN!  
My thoughts wrestled. Half of them were about Ivan and the other half was about looking forward to chilling with my buds while eating pasta to get over the stupid fight. My head began to hurt. The thoughts about Ivan were winning. DAMN IT ALL! WHY THE HELL AM I THINKING ABOUT HIM?!  
I started banging my head harshly on the tough glass window of the car, making Camilla worry.

"Scarlett, in something wrong?" asked a super worried Camilla.

"Oh, I'm fine, it's just that I'm trying to something. IT JUT WON'T GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HEAD!" I yelled with alot of edge and rage in my voice.

"Maybe it will help if you talk about it, rather than banging your head on the window like a baka," Camilla said with a grin.

"It's just that, Ivan beat me in a fight and I should want him to go to hell, but, instead he's stuck in my head and my head is hurting from trying NOT to htink about that bastard," I said, still desperately trying, but of course my efforts were futile.  
I couldn't stop thinking about the way his eyes looked during our fight. Not only that, he was one of the onlly people who didn't look at a me with disgust and hatred. The way he smiled and the childish gestures and expressions he does. The way he fought insanely and loved to fight. It just made me feel so different.

"It's love," said Camilla out of the blue.

"No, it ain't love!" I retorted. There was no way I could fall in love this easily. Me, the Scarlet Raven, does not feel love.

Camilla and I arugued for a long time, probably ticking the hell ouyt of Feliks. By the time we got to Camilla's house, we still didn't stop until she got to the door. Of course, I had the last say in the argument. One Camilla got inside, I flipped my middle finger behind Camilla's back, causing Feliks to do a mental facepalm.

"Like, if she saw that, she would like, totally kill you," Feliks said.

"Well, look who finally decided to talk," I said.

"Um, like Scar?" Feliks asked sorta begging.

"What?" I asked as bluntly as ever.

"Um,like, I totally know this is like, a totally weird questino, but like could you go with me to the Bridal Store?" Feliks held his hands together like he was making a prayer.

"Uh, sure?" I asked uncertainly. Well, we do need something to kill the time anyway.

"Oh my God, like totally thank you! Cuz, like, I totally have to tell you about Ivan, cuz like, you're, like, totally fighting him and all," Feliks immediatly reverted back to his regular self.

The ride to the store was only tell minutes long, yet Feliks was like 85 mph, which made me wonder if he really does pay attention to the speed limit or not.  
Once we arrived and got out of the convertable, Feliks quickly clung on to my right arm, which really scared me. He was only as tall as my shoulder, making me laugh a little on the inside.

"So, what did you want to tell me about Ivan?" I asked as we walked in the store. The store was a little bigger than I expected. There were alot of wedding dresses on display ranging from alot of diffrent styles. There were also boquets, cakes, and accesories to match the beautifully crafted dresses.  
Feliks didn't answer my question right away, but instead, waved to a joyful old lady at the cash register wearing a puffy pink jacket. The old lady waved back to Feliks like he was her own grandson.  
Feliks dragged me to the old lady, who looked at me kindly.

"Like, Granny, this is scar, like the one I old you about, like she agreed to toally try on the dresses!" Feliks automatticly said. "HELL NO, FELIKS WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS!" I thought angrily. I was about to say something against this, but I stopped myself after realizing how beautiful the dresses might be.

"Well, then, its nice to meet you, Scarlett, dear. Feliks has told me alot about you. Why don't you bring her to the back and we could start trying on the dresses?" the old lady said with a pure smile.  
I smiled back, not knowing what to say. I was half mad at Feliks for dragging me into this mess, but half'glad that he dragged me to the back of the store so I wouldn't say somehting totally stupid.  
Once we got to the bakc, he threw a white tank top at me and tight, mid-thigh length white shorts at me and shoved me into a changing room, telling me to "like, totally change so I could, like, change into a wedding dress." I did a quick change, shedding out of my jacket, tee, and skinny jeans and throwing on the tank top and shorts. Who knows, the dresses might actually lookj good on me. The clothes he gave me covered my body and didn't show anything, but felt kinda loose and a little too comfy. To put it basicly, it made me feel a little exposed.  
I guess I was gonna be thier model for today. Feliks was sitting next to a rack filled with fabulous wedding dresses that only he could design. He selected a girly, pink one with a punk side to it. It was knee lenth and black with pink butterflies at the hem of the skirt, a pink belt with a skull in the center, and the sleeves were like that of a t-shirt, but had skulls and pink fishnets that acted like sleeves. Feliks helped me get into the dress then started to answer the questino I asked earlier.

"Like, Scar, you should totally be careful, cuz, like, Ivan is a monster on the battlefield," Feliks said as he put on a matching pink choker with a pink butterfly and skulls on its wings around my slender neck.

"Ivan, like, he's like, totally insane. He, like, totally tortures his enemies and like, totaly kills them. His past is like totally sahdy and dark and like totally drenched in blood. I eman, like, you're totallly strong and all, but he's been fighting since like ,the day he was born," Feliks said more terrible things about Ivan, occasionally good things, but mostly terrible. But I never believed those terrible things becaouse I know their only rumours and I don't believe rumours until I know for sure they're true.  
Feliks finished the punky pink wedding dress ensemble with knee-high combat black converse with pink lacing, ripped black gloves and a small clip-on black hat with a skull on the left side of my head. the had had small pink fishnets as a tiny veil.

"This dress like, totally suits you and like your totally cool persona," Feliks said as he adjusted the hat.

He was right, the dress clung to my slender figure and it hugged my curves in just the right places. The dress was easy to move in, but didn't show any clevage. It did make me appear "totally fab."

"That dress looks best on you, dar. It really brings out your inner spirit!" Granny said, personally scaring the living hell out of me. I looked at my reflection in the mirror once more. I was happy Feliks didn't mmess up my bangs because it partially covered my right eye, matching the overall design of the dress.

"It's really cuz of Feliks who designed it," I said.

" Well, Feliks, dear, you don't have time to dilly-dally now, take the pictures and change her into the rest of the dresses!"

Feliks obeyed the old lady and helped me change into a diffrent ensemble after habing me pose for a few photos. All of the outfits he designed were "Elegantly Rebellious." They all magically suit me and my persona. I could tell me put his heart and soul into creating these completely "fab" ensembles.

About a hundred outfits and a thousand photos later, Feliks finally let me change back into my tee, jeans, and leather jacket again. As we left, the kind old lady waved us off and told us to "be safe." I could tell she was really lonely and enjoyed our company just as much as we did. But I was more focused on the terrible things Feliks said aobut Ivan.


	14. The best medicine for depression: PASTA!

A/N: This is almost like a bonus chapter.

* * *

Of course, by the time Feliks and I left the store, we were already ten miutes late. But I was always late, so the others sould be expecting this. Along the way to out appointment at Little Italy Cafe with our buds, Feliks and I talked about school, dreams, life, and fashion. I wasn't really a fashionista, but Feliks helped me alot. He was like a little brother to me.

Feliks parked the car and when we got out, I, of course, always brought my staff with me. We were greeted by Feliciano, Gilbert, Lovino, Antonio, Ludwing, and Kiku's starving expression.s

"Veh~ they're here, now let's go get PASTAA!" Feliciano said.

"You know, it's really unawesome to be late and to keep the unawesome me waiting," Gilbert was sobbing hopelessly. Unlike his normal egotastical self. And I thougt in all these years of knowing him, I thought nothing could deflate his ego.

"Hola chica, the 'awesome' Gilbert here just got rejected by a bunch of different close girls in many humiliating ways. Feliciano is trying to get over his heartbreak, Lovino is pissed at Ludwig, Ludwing got a B+ on his first text, Kiku, well, he almost died from trying to let his stalker down easily." Antonio filled me in.

"And you, Antonio?" I asked.

"Lovino WON'T STOP BEING A POTTY MOUTH!" Antonio wailed to the skies.

"SHUT UP YOU TOMATO LOVING BASTARD!" Lovino scowled, only making Antonio cry more. Feliciano and Gilbert joined Antonio with Gilbert;s rants about how those "sexy" girls rejected his "sexiness" and Feliciano's unrequited love for Camilla. Ludwig added to the level of dread with his ghostly pale complexion and Kiku's shocked faces showing how his expirience with letting Mei down easily scared him for life made it look like this was a funeral procession. I joined in, ranting along with Gilbert and Feliciano about how unfair life was.  
This just made Feliks and Lovino facepalm. "Like, let's, like, totally get in the restaurant so you could drown your sorrows in Pasta," Feliks advised.

"Yea, let's go you bastards," Lovino said. The two of them practically dragged the six of us in. We made a real scene. Along the way, I remembered to text Francis who was probably being a worry-wort walking around in circles, pannicking his ass off. I texted him,"I'm in a restaurant drowining my sorrows in pasta with my buds: Gil, Antonio, Feliks, Feli, Luddy, kiku, and Lovi." Francis texted me back saying if they try anything to yell out and go for the eyes. About a thousand worry txts later, he FINALLY realized I could take care of myself. DAMN, he's like an overprotective father I never had.

The aura of dread and rants about life continued as we walked into the restaurant. All of us ordered the pasta special made for fifty people.

The pasta was complete and utter bliss with the moist noodles with the steamy red pasta sauce slithering down your dry throat.

"THIS PASTA REMINDS ME OF CAMILLA!" wailed Feliciano as he stuffed his face with pasta.

"I DON'T SEE HOW THEY COULD ALL REJECT THIS AWESOME SEXINESS! ESPEICALLY ELIZABETA! HOW COULD SHE CHOOSE RODERICH OVER MY AWESOMENESS?!" Gilbert ranted as he borged himself with awesome pasta and thirst quenching beer. OK, the rules for alcohol are different in Wolf Creek. You can drink when your seventeen. Of course, I don't drink alot, but Gilbert can drink twenty bottles and still be sober. But I knew for a fact that I could hold my liquor better than him if I tried.

"LOVINO WON'T STOP BEING A POTTY-MOUTH! I AM NOT A TOMATO LOVING BASTARD!" Antonio's wails were loud as he chugged down some beer and pasta.

"UGH! DAMN YOU TO HELL, IVAN BRAGINSKI! FIRST YOU BEAT ME IN A FIGHT AND NOW YOU WON'T GET THE HELL OUT OF MY DAMN HEAD!" I yelled to the heavens, letting go of my goddamn sanity. Man, it felt nice to let it go. I chugged down more pasta and relaxing soda.  
Kiku ate his pasta politely as ever with a scared face. He drank some sake to forget his experience with Mei Fao wang. Ludwig kept hoarding beer into his mouth and eating pasta like there was no tommarow.  
Feliks and Lovino both facepalmed and ate pasta and drank their sodas like normal human beings while holding onto their small piece of sanity. All of our ranting caused a huge scene, but we didn't really care.

Luckily, no one got drunk or tipsy. Felicinao barely got over Camilla, but was ALOT better than he was before. Gilbert's ego inflated once again, which annoyed the crap out of me. Antonio felt better, Luddy was able to get ober his stupid B+, and Kiku well he still wasn't able to get over Mei's rage. But I felt loads better.  
The bill was a whooping $88.48. Most of it came from Feliciano's side of the meal. Feliks and Lovino were the "therapists" and they did do a pretty good job. After spliting up the majestic bill, we all said our good-byes and ditched the restaurant AFTER all mutally agreeing Pasta is the best medicine for depression!


	15. Ivan Braginski, My New Rival? Part 2

Feliks drove me home in his pink convertable while teasing me about how I lost my sanity in the restaurant that night. Of course, when I texted Francis that a boy was driving me home, my inbox was overflowing with Worried-Big-Brother texts.

I came home to a freaking out Francis. The moment Feliks parked outside the iron wrought gate, Francis dashed up to the car like a zombie acopolyse was behind him. After I placed one foot on the ground, Francis hugged me like there was no tommarow. Then, he turned his attention to Feliks who looked totally confused.

"OI! BOY! I KNOW MY CUTE LITTLE RAVEN IS HOT AND SEXY, BUT YOU BETTER NOT TRY ANYTHING, LET ALONE TAKE HER VIRGI-!" I smacked him with my backpack JUST before he could finish the word or dirty, yet protective sentence.

"SHUT UP FRANCIS! I still didn't even have my first kiss yet, so how do you expect me to lose THAT?!" I yelled at the worried Frenchmen with rage in my voice.

"Ohonhonhonhon! BUT SHE'S STILL COMPLETELY OFF LIMITS, YOU GOT THAT POLISH BOY?! IF YOU TRY ANYTHING, YOU WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH MOI!" Francis kept on yelling at a freaked out Feliks as though Feliks was a well-known rapist or player. Which was totally not true cuz I know Feliks wouldn't do anything like that.  
The more Francis yelled warnings about stealing my kisses or doing perverted things to my body, the more my sanity started to crack. Feliks was beet red. Cuz FRANCIS WOULDN'T SHUT THE HELL UP WITH ALL THE PERVERTED WARNINGS!  
I was really tempted to just gut Francis so he would shut up, but I resisted.  
"Sorry you have to see this, Feliks. Have a safe trip home, k dude?" I said with a grin on my face.

"Like it's no prob. I'll, like, totally see you tommarow!" Feliks said as he drove off into the pitch black night. I stood there, waving bye to the car for two whole minutes like a dumbass. It's just a habit of mine, waving for a couple of minutes in case they come back.

"OI! I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU, PONY BOY! YOU GOT LUCKY ZHIS TIME! IF I EVER CATCH YOU TOUCHING MY LITTLE RAVEN INAPROPRIATELY, I'M GONNA SEND YOU TO H-!" I cut Francis off by smacking him with my backpack. AGAIN!

"SHUT UP!Feliks won't do anything like that! You're worrying too much!" I took a minute to sigh, then continued, "Let's go inside, I need to talk to you."

Francis finally snapped out of his funk and we both went inside. Along the way to the kitchen, I told him about losing my first fight to Ivan Braginski. Then I told him about my first day such as school, trying on wedding dresses and of course, pasta.  
He went into "Protective-Big-Brother" mode again, demanding to know fi they hurt me in any way. But I just laughed coyly and told him it was just life, which was true.

That night, I stayed up from 8:00 pm(the time I got home) till 1:30 a.m. training to get strong enough to beat Ivan in a fair fight. Of course, I was exhausted as hell, that night and Francis had to piggy-back me upstairs to my room so I could take a shower, brush my teeth, and change my clothes to go to bed. Of course, I made Francis wait OUTSIDE. I don't trust him ANYWHERE near me when I change my clothes or take a shower.

Francis tucked me in and kissed me on the forehead, something my parents never did for me. "Bonne nuit, mon preciuex petite corbeau," he said as my mind began to drift off into a deep slumber. I heard Francis' footsteps leave and my bedroom door closing as the darkness surrounded me.

I had a dream that night about losing those people so close to me. It's one of those dreams when the people you care so much about die slowly in agony time and time again and all you could do is watch from a horrific distance. First came my parents and sisters. They died in a burning car accident with the flickers of flames dancing in the thick air. Then came Alfred and Arthur, they died from gleaming poison hidden in their supposidly thirst quenching drinks. Gilbert and Antonio were killed by a serial killer, which was one of my family's bodyguards, the jaded blades gleaming bright silvery slivers of light, represent how much longer they had to live. Vash, Lilli, and Lovino died slowly in a terribly hot blanket of crimson flames. Feliks and Camilla died from me, not being able to win a fight against a gang. Francis died from a painful, life-threatening disease that one of the maids passed onto him. And the most heartwrenching one of all, was Ivan. Who died by my own two filthy hands.  
And when I woke up, I wasn't sure about wanting to defeat him to that extent. Because i remembered feeling so guilty and alone. "You make me so confused, Ivan Braginski," I thought out loud.


	16. The Blizzard

A/N: srry for all of you who have been waiting to read this for a long time, ALOT OF DRAMA has happened and my quotev account was whack but lik u kno lik always, I come bak as u kno me. So I'm gonna try to post more often. PROMISE!

Before I knew it, autum had come to pass and it was much colder and lonlier than it had ever been before. What used to be hills were now mountains of snow, the sunlight now eternally avsent in both night and day, and the land was truly barren and lifeless. It was December, the coldest and darkest time of the year.

Like the song "Once Upon a December" this month did bring back alot of memories, both good and bad. Some memories only came and faded as winter passed.

For most people, this time of year would be about carefree holidays and shit. Some would be worrying about getting their lover the perfect gift or their family even. And some would be stocking up food for the upcoming winter storms. Even gang and other street fights were dissaptating, for the fear of frostbit or even sickness and disease. But I didn't fear anything, not even death. I fought even on the coldest pitch black night, I battled as much as I possibly could, and took the experiance as training to defeat Ivan. But its hard to pick a fight these days and that pisses me off.  
The day was December 13th,2013 to be completely exact. It was strange cuz lately, I was feeling weird. My nose won't stop freakin running, I'm starting to get tired faster, and my forehead won't stop burning. But, of course, the goal of defeating Ivan in a brawl, kept me going. I never ever lost sight of that goal. I fought him so many times in the past four or five months that I lost count after maybe 1,103?  
Francis wouldn't stop worrying about me. I always told him to "suck it up, cuz I'm sure as hell I'm fine." But of course, he never refused to believe me.

I magicall got "Ivan's phone" number one day and frequently texted him to meet me somewhere to fight him. I never won any of the fights, but yet he never stood me off and always waited for me. Even if the temperature was sub-zero, he would be there, through drought and sunshine. He was truly loyal.  
Today, however, I was feeling extra terrible and could barely move. But I had texted Ivan to meet me in the park at 10:00 am which WAS 5 WHOLE FREAKIN HOURS AGO! I hated going back on my word and most of all, I hated missing fights, especially with Ivan!  
I threw on some black skinny jeans, a random black shirt, and a black sweater with a sunflower etched on it. I grabbed my staff and burst out the doors into the winter wonderland.

Every bone and musle in my body protested as I ran to where Ivan was waiting for me. I fell numerous times, but quickly regained my balance to run again, the only thing driving me was what I saw when I stopped, the familiarly tall figure with a fluffy scarf. I dashed quickly and tried to strike him, but Ivan quickly blocked it and pushed my staff and I into the snow. My shoulders cracked under his ginormus strength surpressing me.  
My bones ached even more and it got harder to breathe. I looked up into Ivan's amythest eyes and saw great concern in them. The only question to this was Why?

After five seconds of looking into his eyes, he got off of me quickly. He helped me sit up then took off one charcoal glove and felt my forehead.

"You're sick, da,~" he said, breaking the everlasting silence.

"Yeah, I know, what about it?" I said in between heavy breaths.

"You should take better care of yourself, I don't want you to die.~" Ivan said with his signiture childish grin.

I felt fatiuge and nausea fill me, i couldn't move at all I just stayed there, half wishing Ivan would just ditch me, but half wishing he would freakin stay.

"Can you sit up?" Ivan's voice rang in my ears.

I shook my head, not wanting to strain my voice. I thought he would leave, but he didn't. Ivan picked up my limp arms and slung them around his neck, while my body rested on his comforting back. He held me in place by my knees after tucking his pipe and my staff somewhere in that large coat of his. But his back was like a heating pad, it was so warm.

"Just sleep, мой подсолнечника," Ivan said, his native accent pronouncing the Russian words perfectly in a fantasizable manner.

As if a magic spell, my eyelids grew heavy. My face rested on his fluffy scarf and beautifully tousled blonde hair. I embraced his neck even tighter, never wanting to let go of him. Eventually, my body succumbed to the alluring darkness of sleep. Although, one question lingered unanswerd...

"Why was he doing this?"


	17. Christmas With Ivan

AU: to all the people who have and will continue to read this, i apologize if u have been waiting for a super rlly long time to read the next chapter of "The Scarlet Raven" I have been busy with major matters in life, but this time I will try my hardest to write as much as I can! I hope you enjoy this chapter of "The Scarlet Raven"

Blissful dreams don't last forever. I woke up to the sight of a chipped roof floating above my head and the sound of the raindrops pattering on the wooden floor. I slowly moved my fingertips to feel the surface of the leather couch I had been laying on. A soft beige jacket acted as a blanket, snug and warm. However after suddenly realizing I was in a place I've never been to before, I flipped the coat off to check if I was still wearing the clothes I was wearing this morning.

Glad to see I was, I thought it would be reassuring to examine this place a little more out of curiostiy. I started with the familiar beige jacket. It was sooo familiar, but I just couldn't name who it belonged to. I scratched my head to help regain my memory.  
I thought..  
And i thought...  
And I thought some more...  
Until...  
The AHA! moment came.

It belonged to Ivan, who took me to this place and gave me a place to stay. But he was nowhere to be found. I slowly sat up, trying to minimize the pain as much as possible. I began to scan the room with my stressed out gray orbs.

The room was a pigsty! Chairs and furnishings were ripped up and scattered everywhere randomly. The roof was chipped and screwed up so bad, snow was seeping through. The burnt, crispy walls were no help either. Not to mention the floor had splinters sticking out, devoiding it of all color.

It was empty and desolate, but very large, I could tell. Just as "only one here" traced its fingertips along my thoughts, Ivan came out of the gloomy shadows near a pot and stove, looking frozen to death, wearing only jeans, boots, and a scarf...nothing else. To put it simply, he was shirtless. And all I could do...was stare.

Ivan had a well-built figure. He had six pack abs and...scars? All I could think was.."Damn..." When he averted his eyes to me, I slammed my head down, pretending to be asleep and not noticing his  
...perfect body...

God, what the hell was he walking around flippin shirtless for? And where did he gt those horrible scars from? I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as he came closer. I shut my eyes tightly, trying not to think about him shirtless. anymore. I tried to turn as naturally as possible, but failed miserably.

"доброе утро, Scarlett!" Ivan said with a grin on his face. All I did was wave and I got flustered from seeing his "perfect" torso.

"Please put a shirt on." I responded while holding his coat before me. My eyes were downcast to avoid gaping at his body.

Ivan lifted the coat gently off my fingers but never stopped grinning. He slipped the coat on and I felt more at ease. Now I can look at him in the eye without that irritating feeling.

"Your face is red, you still have a fever да." Ivan said, feeling my forehead. "It's cuz you were walking around flippin' shirtless" I thought to myself. "I'll go make us some food," Ivan said and started walking out of the room.  
"Wait! Can I...help you?" I asked, wishing to stay with him a bit longer. Ivan stopped in his tracks and responded with a cheerful "да!"  
Ivan started walking again, but I eventually caught up to him. This feeling I had was too unfamiliar.

The silence between us was unbearable as we walked to the jacked up kitchen. I knew I had to break it somehow.

"Do you live alone here?" I asked.

"да," he responded childishly. UGH! WHY IS HE SO BLUNT RIGHT NOW?!

I wanted to ask about his scars that traced all over his torso. The big ones and the little ones. Some seem new, some were already old and fading. Just what the hell has this guy been through?

Ivan brought out some ingredients from a splintery pantry. Call me hopeless if you want, I've never ever cooked before. The thing closest to cooking I've ever done is pouring boiled water to instant noodles.

Ivan laid out some dough in front of me and some for himself. I just stared, hoping I didn't look as clueless as I thought I was. Shit! What am I supposed to do? I glanced at Ivan who was currently kneading the dough. I rolled up the sleeves of my leather jacket like he rolled up his and tried to hopelessly copy him.

"Silly girl, you don't need to do it that much," Ivan laughed, collecting the dough and placing it on a plate next to the stove. he brought out a pan filled with raw meat and cheeses. I mentally facepalmed myself for being so useless.

I watched in amazement as Ivan carefully cut the dough into little pockets and placed the meat and cheeses neatly into them. He sealed the little pockets and placed them on a metal tray. The tray was placed on top of a campfire thingy made up of chipped crimson bricks.

"Do you need fire?" I asked him, finally finding something that I might be able to help with.

" да." He responded. Shit! Where are the damn matches?

Great. Where the hell am I gonna get matches when we're stuck inside this house cuz of a stupid blizzard?! I had a mental panic attack.  
"Don't worry, мой подсолнечника, we can always use sticks and stones," Ivan said, noticing me clawing at my hair due to frustration. Damn, this guy is sharp. I noticed sticks in the oven thing, so I scanned the room for stones.

I watched in amazement like a child in a circus as Ivan magically made fire appear by using just sticks and stones.

"Now we wait until its done, да." Ivan grinned. Both of us sat by the fire, trying to collect its warmth. I gazed into the fire, watching the ember flames dance. It was awfully too quiet, though. I was determined to break the silence somehow.

"Do you like the snow?" Ivan beat me to it.  
"Yeah, I do," i answered honestly, reflecting on good memories.  
"I see," Ivan's disappointed voice rang through. I could tell he didn't feel the same about snow.  
"Ivan...How does it feel, being alone here?" I asked him.  
"It's very lonely and scary да. You're helpless and alone in this world with no one there for you and on a cold winter's night it's very frightening with no one to keep you warm." Ivan said the words with a childish smile as if it were normal. This made my heart sank. Just what has this guy been through?I probably only made his life worse.  
"Ivan, is it OK if I ask you something?" It was now or never. I had to know his past, and I had to know it now.  
"да, what is it?" He asked, scooting a little closer to me. I looked into his pain filled amythest eyes to see if this was the right time to ask.  
"Can you tell me about your past?" I asked with uncertainty. Ivan was silent and full of hesitations.

"Ah, the пирожки is ready," Ivan said as he put out the embers of the fire. Ivan carried the tray to where I was sitting. I turned around and took a whiff of the delicious Russian pastries. I let Ivan take the first bite. It seemed as though he might feel like avoiding talking about his past. I was just about to grab a piece and swallow it in one bite , but Ivan saved my fingers from being burned.

"Careful, it is hot," Ivan slowly let go of my wrist after sensing that I will be careful. There was yet another block of silence between us. Ivan and I ate a few more pieces of the пирожки. Man, he was an awesome cook. His cooking could even rival Francis! The silence droned on a little longer and it gave me the impression that he was thinking deeply.

"I will tell you my past, if you tell me yours first," Ivan's voice rang through the air, breaking the unmoving silence.  
I finished the last piece of the heavenly пирожки, then said, "I will only if you swear to tell me about your past."  
"да, I promise," Ivan said childishly, like a small kid.

I decided to trust him with the story of my miserable childhood. I scooted closer to him, because I usually felt lonely and needy when I tell people about my childhood. I hugged my knees close to me then began to speak.  
I tole Ivan everything about my painful childhood in a hopefully blunt and nonchalant manner. All the pressure of being forced to be my parents' "perfect daughter" for the reason of status, all the lonliness before I met Francis, all the emotional abuse I got from my family, filled with curses and painful insults, but also the support my friends and Francis had given me formed the story of my childhood. Every little thing was completely true. After telling Ivan about my emotionally abused past, I felt a lump in my throat and tears pricking at the edge of my eyes. Oh, how I hated my childhood.

Ivan probably noticed how badly I needed a shoulder to cry on right now, so he snaked his arm around my waiste, pulling me closer. We leaned against the wall together and I saw clearly in those beautiful violet eyes of his that he reallly did care for me and that he would always be there when I needed him.

"Well, I don't think you're terrible or ugly, да." Ivan reassured me. I leaned on his shoulder and he began to stroke my raven hair. "And you are NOT mental and there's nothing wrong with you, you're already perfect the way you are да."

"Thanks," I said. Coming from him, it means a whole lot to me. "Then, what about you're past?" I asked

"My past..." Ivan started. He stopped stroking my hair and went still for a while. Ivan eventually told me about his horrific past filled with bloodlust, cold and loneliness, constant warefare and violence, all his loved ones abandoning him to fend for themselves. His past made me feel guilty for probably hurting him all this time by reminding him of those memories. Because of me, he was probably suffering.

There was another period of still silence between us. I broke it by apologizing to him. Ivan, being the kind man he was, forgave me all too easily. Me, being the coldhearted person I was, didn't know anyway to comfort him.

As if he knew how guilty I felt, Ivan changed the subject to something much more joyful.  
We talked about our dreams and where we wanted to be in the future. We talked about what we loved and formed, sort of, a friendship.

I learned many things about him and he learned numurous things about me. Ivan loved sunflowers and warmth. He once had people who lived with him and whom he cared for like familly, but they ended up betraying him also, He doesn't really love to fight, but life has always given him too many hardships. Ivan wished to move to a warm place with sunflowers one day and asked if I wanted to come wtih him. I, of course said yes. I wanted to be by his side forever.

We questioned about each other's interests and lives until we could write a whole novel about each other. With every new thing I learned about Ivan, the more attached to him I felt. When there was nothing left to tell each other about, we laid down on our backs and started stargazing through a large hole in the ceiling.  
"Is THAT the North Star?" I asked Ivan, pointing at a random bright star.  
"нет, that's just a normal star,: Ivan chuckled. He moved closer to me so that his left arm touched my right arm. "THAT is the North Star," he pointed at an even brighter star. We continued to name all the stars in the sky until there were no more stars to be named.

"Ivan?" I called for him groggily, finally wanting to sleep.

"да?" he answered me, while gripping my right hand tightly in his left.

"Can you sing a song to me?"

(AU: stick around for more soon! :D)


	18. Однажды в декабре

Ivan blinked his amythest orbs in confusion at my sudden request.

"It can be in Russian if that's all you know," I said after quickly realizing that he probably didn't know any in English.

"да, I will sing for мой подсолнечника." Ivan promised me. I van closed his beautiful eyes to deeply search his mind for a song. He looked somewhat like a porcelin doll, so fragile yet so beautiful. After a quick pause, he started to sing. And the words began to flow into a beautiful Russian melody.

"Как узор, на огне

Снова прослое рйадом

кто то пел песнйу мне

Зинни вечер когда то

Словно в просхлом озхилло

чиих то березин рук тепло

валсы изис конных гостей

И вег лехих коней

Валс крузилл и нйос меня

Словна в сказку сноу маня

Первы бал и первы валс

Сучат во мне сечас

Зеркала в яантаре

Мой вострог отразхаут

Кто то пел на зоре

Дом родной подкидая

будесх ты в декабре

внов со мной...дорогая..."

Ivan looked at me for my opinoin. "I'm sorry i couldn't come up with anything better. It's a very old Russian lullaby. but I hope you liked it."

"That was beautiful Ivan," I said. Ivan wrapped his arms around my waiste and buried his head at the nape of my neck, almost inviting me to wrap my arms around his neck, which I did.

"I'm glad you like it, мой подсолнечника," ivan said as he fell asleep quickly in my arms. I smiled as I watched his eyes close. To me, he was like fire, dangerous and frighteing, yet so warm and beautiful.

I stroked his silky silver blond hair as he slept peacefully in my tight embrace. I wanted to hold him in my arms forever and never have to let go. This was the most perfect time of in my life and I wanted it to stay this way for the rest of eternity. I placed an innocent kiss on his head then embraced him tighter.

From that moment on, he became the world to me, he was mine and no one else's. I cherished every little thing about him and hoped he felt the same about me.

Then I realized how awfully calm it was. It was too strange, the night has never been this peaceful. There was something that lurked in the grim shadows, waiting for a moment to strike. I dismissed the feeling. It wasn't that big for me to worry about yet. But I held Ivan closer anyways. No one was going to harm him and I was going to make absolute sure of that.

(AU: I would also like to give a shout out to my followers, reviewers, and my favoriters! Thanks for favoriting and reviewing my story, cuz it really means alot! Oh yea and No i will not translate the song. It's the Russian version of Once Upon a December, I typed it up using a Russian keyboard website. I barely know any Russian and I'm trying to learn so I'm like a complete begginer, so if you know Russian and see that something is wrong with my spelling or grammar please tell me, I am sorry if my Russian offends anyone. I am not trying to offend you, Russia, the Russian language or the Russian people in any way. I do not own the song, Once Upon a December or the Russian Translation. The song and translation belongs to its respectful owners, as well as Hetalia. I only own my OCs and this fanfiction story. But, I hope you enjoyed it so far. Please review, follow, and fav if you like it!)


	19. The Best Duelists Come to Fight

Even though the sun didn't rise, I knew it was morning because the stars no longer gleamed in the dark sky. I woke up, feeling snug and warm. I felt safe, like nothing in this world could hurt me. I haven't felt like this in a while, or maybe never felt it ever.  
Just what was so warm?

I opened my eyes, to see that Ivan was fast asleep in our tight embrace. He looked adorable when he slept, just like a large Russian teddy bear. His fluffy scarf was wrapped around both of our necks, making a crimson color paint my cheeks.

Just now realizing that we slept in each other's arms in a tight embrace in his house, alone, on a cold December NIGHT, I could swear my face was on fire. I flipped through last night's events in my mind, glad to know that we didn't do anything SERIOUS, if you know what I mean.

Everything was silent, except for the calm breathing of Ivan's sleep. Once again, the unusual silence reminded me that something was wrong. I could sense it right away, something was there, cowardly lurking in the eerie shadows. I embraced Ivan tighter, swearing to myself that I wouldn't let him have to fight again.

The enemy exposed his presence rather quickly. I heard the loud crunching of snow, like a herd of horse prancing through a silver storm. The musty smell of gun power could be sensed miles away, and a normal person wouldn't yell out "WE KNOW YOUR IN THERE WITH THAT RUSSIAN FREAK OF NATURE, SCARLETT, YOU BITCH! COME OUT AND FIGHT US FOR REAL!" One voice stood out from the choir of cheers and encouragement for me to come out of the house. This was what they called "The Best Rebel Showdown." It's something that only happens in Wolf Creek every once in a lifetime. Usually, the two strongest gangs or rebels would fight for the ultimate power. But no one has ever lived to hold the glory.

The voice woke up a scared Ivan, who was shivering violently. Why did they wanna fight now? In the middle of one of the biggest blizzards in history?

"I have a score I have to settle, I'll be back after I win," I told Ivan as I slipped out of his embrace and sat up, but Ivan wasn't quick to let go.

"I don't want you to leave," Ivan said, embracing me so tight, I might break.

"I promise I'll come back in one piece," I said, stroking his perfectly tousled blond hair.

"Promise?" he looked at me with uncertain violet eyes filled with worry and concern.

"Promise," I said with a nervous grin.

I kissed his forehead innocently, then left to meet the battlefield that had been begging me to come after all this time. I came to meet an armada of overly muscular men trying to stop their teeth from chattering in the storm filled with cold, white dust, blowing harshly in the whipping winter winds.

I remembered Ivan and my promise to live for him. I got into my fighting stance and the gangsters got into theirs. It was me versus a whole army of very experienced criminals and gangsters with knives and guns coated with the crimson blood of their deceased enemies.

The first man charged, his battle cry marking the start of the Mafian War.


	20. The Promise

( WARNING!: THIS CHAPTER HAS ALOT OF CUSSING!)

I kicked another over buff man stone hard into another. I dodged and parried, blocked and countered, and broke and twisted. But no matter what I did, they just kept coming. There was no end to them. I wiped a bit of blood away from the corner of my mouth and glared daggers at my next opponent. I was tired, but not ready to give up quite yet. I knocked the stick out of his hand with one clean kick and uppercutted perfectly on his beefy neck. Something just wasn't right though. It was never this easy, just annialating them one after the other with no struggle.

"1000, 1001, 1002..." I counted silently in my mind. The icy winds began to bite into my exposed skin, and the damned snow flurries made it harder and harder to see. But every rebel such as myself KNOWS TO NEVER GIVE UP.

Just as I stopped to wipe the dust from my irritating eyes, one of my opponents kicked me forcefully to the ground. As I tried to get back on my feet, blood began to trickle down from my mouth and every muscle in my body began to protest against my will. The aching strain I had put on my body had caught up to me at long last.

Another one kicked me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of my lungs and sending me flying to their "leader." He picked me up impulsively by my hair so that we were at eye level contact.

"Have you had enough yet, little fucking bitch?!" He spat firecly in my face.

"Hell no, motherfucking bastard!" I retorted at the top of my lungs before spitting in his eye.

He flung me to the side, the harsh impact with the ground sending haunting misery throughout my body. My vision blurred a little bit then bounced back to clarity. The same man walked to me but this time, he had a large metal pipe that could possibly leave a dent in my skull. He came closer to me, his big feet leaving footprints in the snow. With every step closer, ever more hatred was added to my useless glare. A choir of laughter and cheers were heard as he sharply swung the pipe up.

"I'm sorry, Ivan, I couldn't keep my promise," I cursed silently under my breath.

I shut my eyes tightly and waited for the pain and humiliation of losing to something less than a street rat.

But neither came.


	21. The Best Rebel Showdown

After I carefully opened my eyes, I saw Ivan standing right in front of me, blocking the incoming attack defensively with his pipe.

"You almost broke the promise, да," Ivan reminded me.

"I know..." I said with guilt trapped in my throat.

Ivan tossed me my metal staff, which I was able to catch. I used the staff to help me up back on my feet. I took a few deep breaths to calm my stirring soul then, after I had regained my strength, I firecely attacked again, this time, with ten times the power I had before.

"Scarlett, who injured you?" Ivan asked, his demonic aura beginning to blaze.

"These bastards, who else?" I responded as I vigourously whacked another one in the chest.

Ivan smirked inhumanly as he crushed one of their skulls and threw them savagely across the area.

Ivan and I fought alongside each other. Nothing could harm either one of us, as long as we had each other.

But that was what we thought.

We were battling without a care in the world. And soon enough as expected, out enemies had already collapsed under our power. And of course, we let our guard down. BIG MISTAKE!

It didn't take long for me to dip my mind into the refreshing illusion of victory before my senses picked up the musty, filthy scent of gunpower and its partner, silver bullets. Ivan probably didn't notice, but I did. The white flicker of light reflecting from the silver revolver glimmered behind a tree, aiming for Ivan.

The man behind the tree loaded the gun with five full and healthy bullets. I looked hurriedly to Ivan and realized I couldn't let anything happen to him. Just as the first bullet was about to fire, I tackled Ivan and pushed both of us to the ground. I rose a little, enough to smile brightly at his confused amythest eyes.

And the bullets hit me like a storm of glass. I took all five of them, three to my back, one to my leg, and the last one, to the shoulder of the hand I had used to flip the bird at the shooter. I slowly stood up afterward, standing up on my wobbly feet with a foolish grin on my face. Ivan stood up in panic, placing both his hands on either of my shoulders.

The pain was almost unbearable, but I knew it was worth it cuz Ivan was left unharmed. I rose a hand to ruffle his hair. But I fell straight onto the cold, white earth. My whole body felt like dead, miserable weight, Everything was painful to do, even thinking was a diffucult task, even hearing my name being called over and over again felt like a pain.

"SCARLETT! SCARLETT! GET UP WAKE UP!" a familiar voice called out. The last thing I remembered was being turned on my back, my eyes facing the forlorn sky, before seeing a pair of frightened violet eyes.

Before the world fell into a still jet black abyss.


	22. Near Death Experience

Failure.

That one word marked my whole life.

There was nothing I could ever do right in my short life. From emotions, to fighting, from keeping to losing. Everything I did, I always let everyone down. Who was I kidding? I didn't just disappoint everyone, I disappointed myself. Throughout my whole life, what have I ever done right?

I was there again, the past. I looked at the smaller me through a thin sheet of glass. I watched myself as I tried to do something right. But even then, I was a failure. I couldn't even cry because of my failures. What was I? A failure that didn't even recognize her mistakes? Yes, that was and is who I am, in the past, today, and in the future.  
I watched as I grew up, I was fed up one day and decided to run away. My family was on vacation, in Paris. How stupid I was, I couldn't even run away right. When I ran away, I had witnessed the face of a French gang leader, and I made eye contact with him. Without thinking, I had instinctively run away, I was being chased. It was in the middle of the night, and for the first time in my life I had been afraid.

Afraid that I would die.

That was when I had met Francis. I followed the little me as a starving 15 year old poverty-stricken blond boy had led the little me in an abandoned building. He had reassured me in French words, that at that time, I had instinctively understood.  
I could never pay him back for saving my life. Without him saving me 9 years ago, I wouldn't be living at a healthy 17 years old right now. I took him in, as a butler. How he must've hated it, having to serve the girl whom he had saved. How stupid was I to think he would actually ever care for me.

His hatred must have grown these nine years, without me, he would have gotten to live life the way he wanted to.

I saw Francis smile one last time, before the scene changed to middle school. I was a failure then to, I couldn't do anything right. From schoolwork to sports, what was something I ever did right? That's right, nothing. At least I found people who might care.

I smiled as I saw the 8th grade me, laughing along with Feliks, Gilbert, Alfred, and Antonio before we all got detention for talking during gym. I still remembered having to run 10 laps around the track afterschool. Man, it was fun, the getting in trouble part, NOT the punishment. We all teased Alfie and Tonio for being the last ones.

I saw all my friends' faces before the scene had changed again, to flashes of high school up to the point where I met Ivan, my biggest failure. I fought him non-stop before knowing about his traumatized past. I couldn't believe how blind I was. I was such a failure. The scene of embracing him in my arms and falling asleep in his warm embrace, it must've made him sick. I stared from a safe distance as I saw myself fight, I couldn't even protect myself. Ivan had protected me from the blow that would've killed me. And when I got shot, I only stared at myself as I fell, staring at that girl, trying to convince myself that's not me whose about to die.

After the scene of my fatal gunshot wounds, the scene flipped to a hospital room. IT was filled with my friends, mourning for me. I was lying on the hospital bed with a blanket that covered my lifeless body, an oxygen mask plastered on my pale, helpless face. The monitor displayed my vital signs as normal. But I was so still and lifeless like a doll. It wasn't even funny anymore.

Ivan was asleep, his head resting at my side. But were those tears coming from his eyes? I tried to ruffle his hair, but my hand had passed right through him. I gasped in horror and backed away. My mind couldn't fathom what was happening.  
Around my bed, Camilla was sleeping on Yao's shoulder. Francis looked like he escaped from an asylum, with dark rings under his ocean blue eyes and unkempt hair. Lilli and Vash were leaning on each other, fast asleep. Antonio and Gilbert were staring blankly into space as well as Feliks. Kiku, Luddy, and Feli were asleep, leaning on each other for support. Alfred was munching gloomily and Arthur was getting irritated by this.

"It's not your time to die yet," a raspy voice said from behind me.

When I turned, I was faced with a hunched up figure wearing a black cloak draped around his body. His height loomed over me, but I wasn't afraid.

"What the hell do you mean?" I asked bluntly.

"You have to wake up, it's not your time to die. You're having a near death experience. All in time, you should wake up. It's not your time to die, just yet." His raspy voice would be enough to send cold sweaty chills down a normal person's spine but defiantly not mine. He waved his index finger of bones as if casting a spell.

And like he predicted, I woke up to the white hospital ceiling. This time, I ruffled Ivan's hair, and my hand didn't pass through. Instead, it came in contact with his head. I turned to Francis who perked up right away and was crying tears of joy, more than usual. Antonio and Gilbert rushed to my bedside.

"SEE! I TOLD YOU ZHIS FRAU WOULD AWESOMELY COME TO LIFE!" Gilbert said reverted back to his "awesome" self.  
"SHUT YOUR TRAP GILBERT, WE'RE IN A HOSPITAL!" Luddy ignored his own warning and got back to his….err….Chemistry Textbook? Well, it doesn't matter what it was. I ripped the oxygen mask off my face and woke everyone else up.  
"мой подсолнечника!" Ivan quickly pulled me in for a tight embrace. I had to pat his arm, signaling that that was way more than tight enough.

"Well I'm back suckers!" I said as my buds crowded around my bedside, welcoming me back to society.

At least, the perfect society I am thinking of.


	23. Summer Weirdness

After a month, I was back on my feet, stronger than ever before. I wouldn't say EVERYTHING was back to normal, but for the most part it was. There were the bad things and the good things to getting out of the hospital.

The good part? Well, it turns out, Ivan and I won the best rebel showdown. So, we basically have supreme control over Wolf Creek's mafia. We have it, but we just don't know what to do with it yet. Well, I guess this is good or kind of bad for me, but Yao and Camilla are together and made plans for marriage after college. Well, it seems like Feliks is getting a scholarship to go to Central Saint Martin's to perfect his "Exquisite Fashion Talent." As principal of the school said. Antonio apparently found his dream girl, a tan beach beauty known as Suzuka. Feliciano and Romano inherited a REAL pizzeria from their grandfather. Ludwig's going to some chemistry school after graduating and Gilbert's going to go to Julliard to get some basic training to be the awesome rock star he promised both of us he would become back in the old days.

Only Ivan and I still have to determine our fates.

The bad part? Unfortunately, as it stands, there's a lot of bad going on. Ever since I turned eighteen, my parents have been arranging me up in marriages with guys I don't even know. And the worst part was, Francis. Francis has been acting weird around me lately, more clingy and protective. Like overboard. Once he even cried to me, saying he didn't want to lose me. He had never done that before, at least not if everything was normal. This new Francis gave me a new fear. It was a fear worse than the fear of death. It was the fear of losing someone important.

"Francis?" I asked him one day.

"Oui?" he answered me brightly as if there was nothing wrong with his face or anything in general.

"What's this?" I asked, pointing at his black eye "And what's up with your hand?" I questioned, pointing to his poorly bandaged hand as he fried some eggs.

"You're mother wants to talk with you," He said, quickly changing the subject suddenly as he pulled his hand away.  
"What's wrong with you?" I interrogated.

"What do you mean?" He smiled. How sick, I thought. A smile is not fitting for this moment.  
"First you get all these random injuries. Next, you say and act all weird and stuff and now you're avoiding talking to me! Did I do something so terrible?" I yelled, on the brink of tears.

He filled the plates with food before embracing me tightly. "I'm sorry, Scarlett," he said. "I don't want to die," he cried.

"What the hell are you mumbling about now?" I scolded him, pushing him and his so-not-Francisness away, usually he would say something perverted or look me in the eye and pretend to flirt.

"You have to talk to your mother," he said before going back to his job

"I will," I walked away. Damn, why is he acting so weird?

I knocked on Mother's office and waited patiently for her cue for me to come in.

"Scarlett dear, I wanted to talk to you about another arranged marriage. This time to Shang Wang, he's a long time business partner of your father's and both parties have arranged for a ball for the two of you to meet. Oh, it's going to be splendid. It's tomorrow and what's better? I have allowed your friend Feliks to design a dress for you! And don't worry I'm sure you'll look fantastic!" My mother threw random details about the ball to me as soon as I stepped in.

"Who's coming? Are any of my friends coming?" I asked about the interesting stuff.

"Oh, they…..well, no. I can't allow it." She said bluntly, but attempting not to break her quickness.  
"And why not?" I asked impatiently.

"I am not very familiar with them," she said uncertainly.

"What are you talking about? You've known Feliks and Gil for years! They're like super close to me!"

"Feliks is only allowed to design your dress. My decision is final, Scarlett, they are not coming."

"Fine," I sighed. Living hell it is.

"Good! Ok! That's all I wanted to say! You can go back to whatever you were doing!"

"Hey mom can I ask you a question?"

"Yes honey what is it?"

"Do you know what happened to Francis?" I asked

Her eyes narrowed for a moment as she took a moment to bite her perfectly manicured nail before putting her hand out in front of her and pretending to stare at her nails. "I'm sorry what?" she asked as if she didn't hear me.

"Oh it's nothing," I said as I confusingly left.

The rest of the day, I texted my all my buds and we had conversations bout practically everything. It was fun, at least while it lasted. Well, I guess as fun as fun could be when you're worrying about something really bad that you think you're going to get diarrhea from being so anxious.

The next morning, after getting ready, I went to the kitchen only to find Peter, our family's youngest servant there instead of Francis.

"Miss Scarlett?" he looked up to me with shocked green eyes as I entered without warning.

"Oh sup Peter? Have you seen Francis?" I said.

"I'm afraid he's out today Miss! When I saw him, he had all these nasty wounds on his body," Peter said cheerfully as he carefully put a tea set together.

"Where is h-"I didn't get to finish my sentence as my mother pulled on my arm. "Its 3:00 pm, you should be getting ready, the ball is at 5."

I gave Peter a look of pleading for help before being dragged away by my mother.

All I could think about was Francis.

What's going to happen to him?

But then, I realized.

I don't know what will happen to me either.


End file.
